


Life is Saw

by Santa_Cruz



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Halloween, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-23 14:04:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Santa_Cruz/pseuds/Santa_Cruz
Summary: Students wake up in a room with no memory of how that got there, soon find out they are players in a deadly game.





	1. Part 1

Victoria Chase woke up on the cold metal floor. She squinted as her green eyes opened against the bright lights. Her stiff body ached from lying in the same position for some time. The halogen lights above hummed, ticked softly and flickered intermittently above her. Her nose picked up the smell of metal in the humidity in the air.

"Auuh," she moaned, slowly coming to her senses. She leaned up against a set of roughly welded rebar bars. Her red cape was wrapped around her body to keep warm. She blinked, not recognizing where she was. Her voice was dry and rough, "Where am I?" The response she received was her name being called.

"V, wake up," a voice called out.

She looked up and to her right. Nathan Prescott was standing next to her wearing his Royal Prince Halloween costume. They were separated by another set of bars.

She groggily said his name, "N-Nathan?" So dizzy.

Victoria took the red devil horns headband out of her hair by running her fingers through it. "I can’t… what…"

A louder voice called her name worriedly, "Vic! Wake up!"

Victoria looked in the direction of another voice, Rachel Amber was behind another set of bars in her vampire costume; black leather pants, a black corset that showed her powdered, pale arms and shoulders. A trickle of fake blood was painted from the corner of her ruby lips. Rachel looked down at Victoria, worried.

"Rachel?" Victoria said dazedly.

"Come on! Wake up!"

Victoria raised her head and looked up at Rachel, confused. She glanced around her area again, noticing the bars. "Am I in jail?" Victoria’s mind started to come to. "[I’m in jail!](https://hspano.homestyler.com?m=p&id=sRN4qGKhQBteF49W1jJ4vX)"

Nathan leaned up against the set of bars next to Victoria’s cell, "Yeah, we are, but not for long." He yelled for a police officer.

Rachel leaned against her bars with her forehead resting on them and once again pleaded with Nathan, "Nate, stop, they didn't come the first ten times you yelled, they won’t come for you now."

Nathan continued to yell, "You fuckers don’t know who I am! My father will sue your fucking asses for having me in here!"

Victoria slowly stood up, fighting the dizziness. She leaned on the bars and looked across at Rachel. She blinked multiple times to ward off nausea and bring her fuzzy head back into focus. "What the hell happened?"

"We were arrested, though I can’t remember any of it," Rachel confessed as she rubbed her temples, trying to drive back the headache.

"What?" Victoria looked over at Rachel. "Why was I?" Victoria began to panic. "Why was I? I’m not a criminal. I’m not a delinquent." She looked over at Nathan, who saw that she was worried. He again called for a police officer and Victoria winced at the loud yelling.

"Nathan, give it a rest," Rachel tiredly protested again. Nathan stopped his yelling and put his fingers through his hair as he walked around the very small five-foot by five-foot cell, mumbling to himself.

Victoria rubbed her forehead and tried to understand what happened last night, "I don’t understand, did I pass out?" Victoria felt something around her neck. "What the fuck is this?" She tried to look at it but couldn't quite see; it was a tight collar with something hard and square at the back of it.

"I don’t know, we all have them," Rachel said rubbing her temples again and putting her finger through her hair.

Victoria looked at both Rachel and Nathan’s collars to see what they were.

"It’s maybe something to monitor our heartbeat," Nathan said. "Make sure we didn’t pass out and die on their watch."

Victoria tried to understand what happened. "Was there a police raid?" She looked at the two for answers.

Rachel shook her head, "I have no idea, the last thing I remember is Trevor jumping into the pool, then I woke up here." She looked over at another person next to her cell lying on the floor, passed out, then looked away.

Victoria followed Rachel’s eyes and saw for the first time the person in the other cell. "Is that your trailer trash friend?" she asked. Rachel didn’t answer but looked again, their leather coat and hoodie was half taken off and their pale face was turned towards Rachel. Victoria noticed small red dots and yellow bruising by the veins on their inner arm. Yeah, it's the fucking junkie.

Rachel sighed and looked away, rubbing her hands on her forehead, wondering how to explain this to her father. She could already hear him saying, Goddammit Rachel, I'm the D.A. You're ruining my reputation, this doesn't look good on me and my office to have you in trouble again. Do you know how this will effect me getting re-elected? What about how this will effect you getting into a reputable University?

The body on the floor twitched and grunted. Rachel watched as they slowly turned over to their side, and once their eyes opened they quickly shut again from the brightness of the lights overhead. The girl took the thin hood from her hoodie and hauled it down to cover her icy blue eyes.

Rachel walked closer to the bars between them and crouched down. "Keep yourself on your side. You're okay, just take a couple of deep breaths." The girl did so then slowly peeled her eyes open. It took a few seconds for her to focus on Rachel. She moaned and curled her body into a ball. "It’s okay," Rachel continued. "Just take your time coming out of it."

The girl moaned again, then groaned her name in pain, "Ra-chel." She always seemed to be in one pain or another. "Water."

"I can’t get that for you, you need to wake up, sweetie, we're in a bit of a situation."

"Fuckin’ junkie," Nathan commented, looking down at the girl on the ground across from his cell.

"Shut it," Rachel warned.

"What? She is."

"Not the fucking time!" Rachel retorted.

"Whatever," Nathan again started to pace around his small cell.

Rachel continued her attention to her friend on the floor. "Can you sit up? You have to wake up, please, we're in trouble."

The punk took a deep breath and slowly sat up, putting her arm back into her hoodie and leather jacket sleeve after a couple of attempts. As she hauled her hood further down to shield her eyes her blue hair trickled into view across her face. She crawled across the floor and leaned up against the bars holding her head in her hands. I just need another hit and sleep this off.

"Wake up, please," Rachel asked again.

The girl replied annoyed. "What?! Seriously, what the fuck do you want Rachel?" She adjusted herself on the floor. "Jesus Christ, I'm awake, okay?" She stared her soulless, bloodshot blue eyes at Rachel.

Rachel ignored her attitude. It was once a loving voice that use to talk to her, now... now that things had changed, she seemed to always have a hating attitude towards everyone. "We’re in jail or some kind of holding cell. Do you know how or when we got here?"

The girl grunted, "You’re in jail, princess? That was a long time coming." Couldn’t blow someone to get yourself out of trouble? She looked up at Nathan then Victoria, noticing then for the first time, and continued, "Heh, long time coming for all of you prissy-ass cunts."

"Oh, fuck you," Victoria replied tiredly. "I don’t belong here, unlike you."

Nathan agreed, "Yeah, we…" he pointed to himself, Victoria and Rachel, "don't belong here. You, on the other hand, probably have a personal revolving door here. And believe me,” Nathan's voice got louder, “when I get out of here my father will sue the department's ass for this kind of treatment!" He shouted. "DO YOU HEAR ME, I WILL SUE YOUR ASS!"

The blunette huffed and slowly blinked, "You’re nobody special, Prescock." She opened her tired eyes and glanced over at the two girls in their cells, "None of you are. You’re all in here, the same as me, bitches."

"Whatever, bitch," Nathan said. "Heads are gonna fuckin’ roll when-"

"Jesus, will you give it a rest Nate?" Rachel held her collar for the other girl to see. "Do you know what these collars are for? It is something new, do they record our heartbeat? Have you been in this holding cell before, there’s no bathroom."

The blunette looked at the collar around Rachel’s neck then felt at the one on hers. She tried to look but it was too tight around her neck. "Fucked if I know." She settled more against the bars. "And if it has four walls and bars, we're in jail."

"Nobody has come to check on us, even with Nate yelling, that’s fucked up, right?" Rachel asked.

"I don’t care," the blunette apathetically looked at Rachel. "Jesus, what are you so worried about? Your daddy will show up and pay your fuckin’ bail like these two pricks here and you will be out and on your back by nightfall." She glared at Rachel and the blonde looked away. The girl wrapped herself in her hoodie and leather jacket before turning away. "You have nothing to worry about. Now if you don’t mind, fuck off and leave me alone." The punk hauled more of her hood down and curled up against the wall to sleep off her body pain. Hope to fuck they’re outta here when I wake up.

"Forget her, Rach. She’s a lost cause," Victoria said. Rachel turned, angry, to tell the elite snob off. "What?” Victoria protested, pointing at the punk. “Look at her, for Christ's sake. Seriously, look at her." The girl was curled up, twitching every few seconds. Rachel looked back, feeling the guilt in the back of her mind.

_"Let’s leave. For real."_   
_ "For real, huh?"_   
_ "You said you wanted to skip town and never look back. Like I said last night, let's do it!"_   
_ "I know. I’ve been thinking about that all day! But that was…"_   
_ "Don’t say it was just a crazy thought. You mean it, I can tell. You want this."_   
_ "Yeah, but… like, eventually!"_   
_ "Let’s go now. Didn’t we already agree onstage?"_   
_ "We can’t just…"_   
_ "Why not?"_   
_ "I know our parents have been shitty, but we can't just… leave them."_   
_ "That doesn't sound like you."_   
_ "And how far could we possibly get without a car?"_   
_ "I thought you were fixing that truck in the junkyard."_   
_ "I was just seeing if I could."_   
_ "Well? Can you, or can't you?"_   
_ "Yeah. I can."_   
_ "Well?"_   
_ ‘What about money?"_   
_ "I thought you were a high-rolling criminal now."_   
_ "I've got a little cash scrounged up, but it's not a lot."_   
_ "I've got more than enough to start us out. I always get birthday money from my dad. Or should I say… hush money?"_   
_ "Fine, then, drama queen. Where are we going?"_   
_ "You tell me. What uniquely twisted location does Chloe Price plus Rachel Amber equal?"_

Rachel watched the twitching drug addict and remembered how it all fell apart. Chloe was just a means to an end to get what she selfishly wanted and when her punk didn’t produce fast enough she found someone who would, and even that was an eventual failure. Rachel sat on the floor and looked at the twitcher curled up on the ground and wished for the time back.

\---

A small brunette called out again and banged on the smeared glass wall, yelling at the four people in their makeshift cells in front of her. She'd awoken, collared like the others, but in her sleepwear and a grey hoodie, not knowing how she got there. The cell she was in had one side of dark glass followed by a set of bars. She tried to call out again at the others, banging on the glass, trying to get their attention but no one could hear her. The short brunette began to panic and it brought on an anxiety attack. She didn't have her medication on her and she desperately tried to calm herself in other ways, but the situation overtook her and she passed out from hyperventilating.

\-------------------

The addict woke up hearing Nathan's yelling and jerking his bars back and forth, "Get me the fuck out of here!"

"Nate, calm down," Victoria said, sitting on the floor.

Nathan yelled back, "Don't tell me to calm down, we’ve been here for hours and no one has checked on us, and we have these fucking things around our necks." His voice cracked. "What the fuck is going on?" He held his head. "I need to get out of here."

"For fuck's sake, can you shut the fuck up and stop your whining?" The punk got to her feet and stretched her body after her slumber. She kept the hood over her face to shield the glaring lights and leaned on her bars. "How long was I out for?"

Rachel answered. "About another hour."

She grunted.

"Are you awake? Like awake-awake?" Rachel asked, her friend seemed to be in better spirits.

"Unfortunately."

"Look at me," Rachel's voice pleaded.

The girl turned, hearing the worry in her voice. "What?"

Rachel showed her collar to the girl, "We all have these around our necks and the cops haven't come to check on us in hours. We haven’t even been told our rights or been charged with anything. This is not right. Something's not right."

Chloe touched her collar. "What the fuck?" She felt around the collar to the block at the back of it. "What the fuck is going on?" She tried to take it off with no result.

"Oh Jesus, really? You're asking that now?" Victoria scoffed. "Welcome to three hours ago, loser."

The punk ignored the pixie-haired devil sitting on the floor, "What the fuck happened?" She asked.

Rachel shook her head, "We don’t know. I remember being at the Vortex party like Nate and Vic and that’s it. I don’t remember leaving the party. I woke up here with all you guys."

"Yeah, right," Chloe didn’t believe her and tried to remove her collar again. This is just some fucking Halloween prank.

"Look at me," Rachel said with determination. The blunette met her eyes. "I’m not fucking around. This… this isn’t a joke."

The punk looked at Nathan and Victoria then around the room, noticing the mirrored wall in her cell. She sternly looked back at Rachel. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I don’t know, and I’m getting scared," Rachel said biting her lip to try and control her emotions. "I really don’t know what's going on, babe."

The punk immediately tried her cell bars, cursing and swearing when the door wouldn't open. She went through the stages the others had already gone through, not believing, this is not right, how can they, this is illegal, I didn’t do anything, I want out of here now… blaming someone else… she then slowly realized she was fucked and in a situation where she had absolutely no control, and it was terrifying. The girl let out a shaky breath and slumped down on the floor next to the common cell bars of Rachel’s cell. The two girls held each other's hands for comfort as the punk rocked back and forth. "This is a bad trip, just a bad trip, I gotta wait it out, just gotta wait it out."

Rachel pressed her face up to the cell bars to kiss her hooded friend's head and quietly spoke to her, "Baby I wish it was."

Chloe lightly shook her head. "No no no no no, it's just a bad trip."

\-------------------

The brunette woke up shivering, lying on the cold metal floor covered in sweat. She hauled herself up and curled up close to the bars, wanting to be closer to the blue-haired stranger sitting across from her from the other side of her cell, rocking herself back and forth. She tried calling out again, finding her voice was hoarse from shouting and pleading. She was tired, drained, scared, and she felt so small. She pleaded again, quietly, "Pleeease help me… I don’t know why I’m here. My name is Max Caulfield," she sobbed, hugging herself. "Someone, please talk to me."

\-------------------

Another half hour passed. The cellmates were on their feet talking with one another, trying to piece together what happened the previous night. Nathan remembered being at the Vortex party, like Victoria and Rachel. He remembered taking a masked girl back to his dorm and then… nothing… and waking up here.

Victoria remembered being at the party and getting sick, but she couldn't remember leaving the party.

Rachel's memory was Trevor jumping into the pool and someone hauling her close to them dancing, she was spun around... then waking up in the cell.

Chloe said she was at the beach in her truck. She didn't tell them she was getting her next hit. She had a flash memory of last night or a memory of her drugged-out trip, a pig was staring at her from outside her truck. She shook her head at the memory and rubbed her face, getting the image out of her head. It was always a hit or miss if she was going to have a good trip or not. Either way, each day, she was going on one whether she liked it or not. She sighed, recalling no memory of the police picking her up last night.

Victoria asked, "I don’t understand, is it because we were the ones that ran the Vortex club? Is that why we were arrested?"

Rachel spoke up, "They might’ve arrested a lot of people if we're in this type of cell. I mean look at this." She pointed to the rusted rebar and the metal container they were in, this was not ‘official’ by any means. Rachel had no idea what they were in, she just spoke, trying to convince herself that they were okay, even though she knew that they were not read their Miranda rights and no charges had been laid. They didn’t have a bathroom facility and no food or water had been given to them. She looked up and all around her, she spotted a large tv on the wall and a camera high in the corner of the room. She pointed at it, "They've been watching since we arrived, so why haven't they dealt with us?" The three other teens looked at the camera she was pointing at.

"What the fuck?" Victoria said.

"I want my phone call," Nathan yelled at the camera.

"They know we've been here for a few hours," Victoria said, "so why haven't they come in an-"

"They don’t need to get up off their lazy ass if they can watch us," Nathan replied.

The tv on the wall suddenly turned on but no one seemed to notice until they heard the sound coming from it. Rachel turned and looked up at the tv. "TV's on." Each person walked to the edge of their cells to get the best view of the screen. It showed a high angle from a security camera; a girl wearing a long white sleeping gown standing in the bathroom. She leaned over, turned on the tap, and filled the bathtub.

"Ou, we're gonna see a private show," Nathan said with a sleazy smile.

"What is this?" Rachel asked to no one in general.

Victoria looked back at Nathan. "What the hell, Nate?"

Nathan looked at Victoria, annoyed, "What?" He looked back at the tv. "Not my fault that we can watch some chick strip and take a bath." He smiled and looked over at Chloe, "I guess you like this too, huh?" Chloe didn’t bother to answer or even acknowledge him, and that annoyed the teen more. "Pff, whatever dyke, I know you like this." He turned back to the tv and muttered to himself under his breath, "Yeah, I know… I know… but we showed her I am."

Rachel, confused, furrowed her brow at her friend. She looked across to Victoria who was also watching Nathan and listening to him ramble. She glanced at Rachel and retorted with attitude, "What?"

"What the fuck is Nate on?" Rachel whispered.

"I don’t know, I’m not his mother," Victoria quickly snapped.

Chloe squinted at the tv, "Anyone know who this is?"

The two girl’s attention went back to the tv. With the position of the security camera and the distance of the tv from their cells, they couldn't see the girl's face. She sat on the edge of the tub and leaned over to feel the temperature of the water. Once the water was at the correct level she turned it off and walked to the vanity almost out of the camera's view. She opened the mirrored wall cabinet, took out an item, walked back to the tub edge and placed it down.

"What’s that?" Nathan asked. "I can’t see shit from here."

Rachel leaned closer to the cell bars. "I don’t know, can’t really see, it's dark in colour and a rectangle… maybe a little bar of soap, like the ones you get in hotels?"

The girl on the tv took her long blonde hair and gathered it in the back, putting it up in a bun. She walked back to the vanity, took a hair clip and put it in her hair.

"Ooh yeah, baby, time to take it off," Nathan said, licking his lips.

"Shut up," Victoria said, looking at him disgusted. You're never like this, stop acting like a douche.

Chloe sneered at the bro bullshit coming out of Nathan’s mouth. "Dude, keep it in your pants, it's just some chick taking a bath."

"But why though?" Rachel asked the group. "Why are they showing us this? Who is she?"

"The only person I know that puts her hair up like that is Church Girl… or should I say ‘put-out girl," Victoria smirked. After two months at school, she still hadn't bothered to learn the girl's name living next door to her.

"Kate?!" Rachel said, looking at Victoria then back at the tv. "No... why? That can’t be her, isn’t she’s still in hospital?" She again looked at the pixie blonde.

Everyone in the room knew about Kate March's suicide attempt. At a September Vortex party, she'd ended up getting drunk. Nathan took advantage and ended up making out in the V.I.P section before he took her back to his room. Their makeout session had been recorded by someone at the party and uploaded to social media in minutes. Kate denied it was her at first, then blamed the alcohol, including how she never meant it to happen. She later said she couldn’t remember any of it. Nathan was more than happy to tell anyone that Kate and him hooked up that night. The constant harassment from other students calling her a whore and bullying her eventually led Kate to cut her wrists one afternoon in the girl's dormitory shower stall. It was just after her parents had discovered what she had done at the party. She was found by a fellow student in time and was rushed to the hospital where she was staying for evaluation and observation.

Nathan glared at the TV. "Ohh yeah, that’s right, she put out for me. Took that V-card." Nathan chuckled, holding on to his cell bars.

"Nate, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Victoria angrily said.

Rachel clarified, "She got drunk and put out."

Nathan talked with himself, "Ha Ha, yeah we did… didn’t we?"

Chloe spoke up. "Dude, who the fuck are you talking to?"

Nathan yelled back. "Shut the fuck up, bitch!"

"Go fuck yourself, Prescock."

"You don’t know who you're talking to, I can-"

"I know who the fuck you are, you keep reminding people whenever they get your panties in a bunch. You're the big boy the Presscock’s shit out one day and if something doesn’t go your way you threaten what your daddy will do to them." Chloe made a wanking motion with her hand. "You don’t scare me, bitch."

"FUCK YOU!" Nathan shouted. He stepped back then lurched forward, spitting in Chloe's’ direction. Chloe moved back in time to get out of the way.

"Dude! What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Chloe yelled, holding her hands upwards and looking at the spit on the floor.

"Nathan!" Victoria said, shocked by what he'd done.

Rachel angrily said, "Jesus Christ, Nathan, what is wrong with you? Whatever you took, it's making you act like a complete fucking asshole!" Rachel turned to Chloe. "Did he get you?"

Chloe kicked the bars, mad. "When I get out of this fucking cell I’m gonna kick your bitch ass!" she yelled. Nathan looked at Chloe and laughed, giving her the middle finger.

He arrogantly teased, "Go ahead, I’ll have you in jail so fast, cunt, you’ll be someone's bitch by supper time."

Their attention was drawn back to the tv when they heard Kate stepping into the water with her white nightgown on. Victoria spoke, "Jesus, she’s that serious about no one seeing her body she doesn't even take off her clothes to bathe."

Nathan bragged, "She had no problem taking them off for me." Victoria shook her head, there was no point talking with him now.

Kate laid down in the tub and began to recite the Lord's Prayer. Once finished she took the object that was on the side of the tub and looked at it for a moment. "I am a disgrace to my family and my friends. Lord, please forgive me for what I did and what I will do."

"No," Chloe stepped forward, leaning on the bars. "No, No, No." Rachel looked back at Chloe, seeing her worried face. The group watched the tv as the object was placed over Kate’s wrist and she forcefully drew it down. Rachel and Victoria gasped, putting a hand over their mouths. Chloe watched helplessly and Nathan leaned up against his bars with interest and a small smile.

"Oh God. Kate, no," Rachel started to cry as Kate cut her other wrist. The clear bathwater was quickly changing in colour.

The mirrored wall that was behind Chloe drew her attention as she looked away from the tv... she thought she heard the faint trace of someone banging and screaming.

Victoria stood still with her hand over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. She slid down in her cell as she looked on in horror. The group became silent as they all watched Kate Marsh, Blackwell's quiet shy girl, commit suicide. Her body lay still in the water and the tv turned off.

Chloe’s attention went back to the mirrored wall. She walked over and looked at her hooded pale face and dark-eyed reflection. She squinted, trying to see past her reflection and see if there was any movement from beyond. She put her ear towards the bars, listening, she thought she could hear crying… crying that wasn’t Rachel’s or Victoria’s.

Just a few feet away from her, Chloe stood over Max. She was curled up in the corner of her cell, holding herself, rocking back and forth, alone and crying Kate’s name.

"Kate, I failed you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other stories, check em' out (ᐛ)و  
  
[Adrenaline](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131271)  
[And That's How I Would Do It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24501835)  
[Social Distancing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24266878/chapters/58484278)  
[Tagged](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817673/chapters/57227440%22)  
[Life is Saw](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893310/chapters/49664687)  
[Watchers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24919501/chapters/60305110)  
[This Action Will Have Consequences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18360968/chapters/43474439)
> 
> **Music** **Life is Strange - Pricefield**  
[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ohME6aIJFML0ekXf0nZzF)  
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNcn8xzWbTEZzA99kgxVbMBcylMw3On6v)
> 
> **Chloe Price - Priceless**   
[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1oQOVxgWOdH03rrjTUC8eR?si=zp73LwzyS16j2VedBOUCow)   
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNcn8xzWbTEY_YbjrjTAH5znCwDScqoUD)


	2. Part 2

**This story contains scenes that some readers may find disturbing.**  
**Reader discretion please be advised. It contains graphic violence,**  
**self-harm, drug use, scenes of explicit sexual content and sexual**  
**abuse** **. Please be aware of the Active Warning posted in the tags.**

Chloe and Rachel sat next to each other for comfort. Even though they both had their issues with one another, in this situation they leaned on one another for support. Both of their heads were against the bars, trying to be close to each other. Chloe didn’t know what to say to comfort her; they were kidnapped, collared, held in cells and there was no way out. It was clear to them that they hadn’t really been arrested and this was not an Arcadian jail.

The tv flashed a few times, getting Victoria’s and Nathan’s attention. "Hey, hey the tv," Victoria said. The tv flashed multiple colours then went dark. There was a sound of a rhythmic slow squeak as they all watched a puppet doll on a tricycle wheeled itself into camera view. It stared at them as an uncomfortable silence passed. Just before Victoria was going to speak, the doll opened its mouth and a deep, distorted voice spoke. Everyone felt a chill of terror run down their spine.

**"Each of you walked through your lives without a care of what effect you have on the people around you. You have asked why you are here, what binds you all together..." **

There were flashes of pictures taken of each of them around Arcadia Bay. Chloe loudly spoke when she saw pictures of herself, "What the fuck! I wasn't friends with that girl!" Chloe shook the cell bars again. "I never talked to her before! Why am I here?!"

The doll continued to speak.

**"Each of you is to blame in Kate Marsh's suicide."**

The flashing pictures on the tv slowed down, showing each person. Chloe selling drugs. Rachel leaning over a picnic table, talking with Kate. Victoria pointing and laughing with two other girls at Kate as she sat by herself clearly distraught. Nathan with a group of jocks laughing while grabbing his crotch with Kate in the foreground, covering her face and crying.

**"Your actions have led her to her death. Her blood is on your hands."**

The tv showed pictures of Kate the first time she tried to kill herself. Shocked students stood around the dorm hall as she lay on a stretcher. Blood covered parts of her face and her wrists were wrapped, showing more traces of blood. The next pictures showed the aftermath in the shower room stall; blood covering the floor, a trail that Kate created as her body was dragged out of the stall. In the corner of the shot, there was a girl partially shown back-on, sitting on the floor. The small, short-haired girl was curled up, holding herself, covered in blood. Another student, Dana Ward, was trying to comfort her.

**"There was one of you that was putting the pieces together to help Kate Marsh, but in the end, like everyone else, you failed Kate. Your actions have consequences and tonight you will pay… I want to play a game."**

The doll began to laugh in a high-pitched mechanical way. The tv displayed a countdown clock of thirty minutes.

Behind Chloe the glass wall slid open, revealing Max curled up in the corner holding herself. The four detainees all turned and stared at the girl. 

Victoria was the first to recognize her, "What the fuck? Why are you here?"

Max looked up, noticing that the wall had opened up and everyone could see her. The hooded girl walked towards her and then stopped, stunned. "Max?!"

Max looked up, scared at the unknown girl that called her name. The hooded girl approached her and Max moved away. Chloe hauled back her hood, revealing her face to her old childhood friend. Max, fearfully confused, looked at the pale complexion of the tall, short blue-haired punk girl. She was gaunt, her dark-rimmed eyes looked like they hadn’t slept in days as they stared, surprised at the small brunette in front of her. Max's expression slowly changed as she looked into those eyes... those icy blue eyes she would know from anywhere. Chloe knelt to the edge of her cell and took hold of Max’s hand through the bars. Max let out a breath of air, saying the girl's name, "Chloe?!" before she began to sob.

\-------------------

Max told the group the last thing she remembered before waking up here. She didn’t go to the Halloween party, she hung out in her room by herself the whole night. Once Chloe realized that Max was going to Blackwell and that she had been there for two months, she took her hand away from Max. Her emotional wall went back up and the Chloe that Max knew five years ago was gone. Chloe curled her lip and with bitterness in her voice spoke. "So you came back for Blackwell and not your best friend?"

"Chloe, no don’t..." Max had so much to say, to apologize for.

Max tried to grip Chloe’s jacket as the punk slid away and got to her feet. She looked down at Max and huffed, "You’ve been here for two fuckin’ months." Chloe looked back at Rachel and the blonde looked away. _ You fucking knew she was here and you didn’t tell me_? She stepped further away from Max, "You couldn’t be bothered to call or text to let me know you were here, huh?"

Max had her mouth open, trying to find the right words to say, but nothing came out. It was going all wrong, she had everything planned out in her head of what to say. She had said it over and over in her head, she wanted to get it just right, to tell her friend how sorry she was for leaving and never talking to her in years. She failed again.

Chloe looked down at the girl staring at her like a deer in headlights and sneered at her, "Yeah, ‘Nuff said. I know where I stand with you, you're just like everyone else." She turned, leaned up against the front set of bars in her cell and watched the countdown clock. "Let’s hurry the fuck up and get this shit started."

Max stood, holding onto the bars. "Chloe, I just wanted to settle in first, I-I would have contacted you."

Chloe turned back. "Right, like you said you were gonna stay in touch when you bailed on me." She paused. "Two fucking months, Max."

Max tried to explain. "I didn’t bail on you. I had no choice, I had to leave."

"Yeah," Chloe pointed aggressively at Max. "But **you** had a **choice to** talk to me after you left. I fucking tried to talk, but you fuckin' blew me off each time. And when you're back in Arcadia you **chose not to** contact me when you were ten fucking minutes away." Chloe looked back at Rachel. "And apparently on the same fucking school grounds, I walked around to meet up with a friend." _ You bitch._

"I would have," Max pleaded.

Chloe turned back to Max with malice in her voice, "Bullshit, Caulfield… shut your mouth with your fucking lies."

"Chlo-" Max paused, she was stunned. Chloe had never spoken to her like that before. Her heart dropped and compressed with so much pain. She barely got out the next word, "P-please." Max's chin quivered, she put her hand up to her mouth, turned away from everyone and walked to the furthest wall in her cell. She slid down, back-on to everyone and held her knees to her chest. Her world had once again fallen apart.

Chloe crossed her arms in front of her chest and continued with more hurtful words, seeing her in the corner, hurt, she taunted, "Ohh, did I hurt your feelings with the fucking truth? Suck it up, buttercup, karma's a bitch." The punk turned back to watch the timer. She put up her hood, once again hiding her face from everyone in the room and placed her forehead against the bars. _ Everyone lies, no exceptions... and everyone will bail. No one fucking cares. Fuck ’em. _ She glanced at Max in the far corner again, turned away from everyone. The small brunette held herself as her body shook. She wiped the back of her hand across her cheek and kept herself quiet. Chloe clenched her jaw, pulled her hood further down, and knocked her head up against the bars to bring on some other pain. She buried her emotions, stoically looked at the countdown clock, and waited. _ Fuck ‘em all. _

Nathan chuckled as he watched the two girls exchange words. "Oh no, lover's quarrel in Dykeville."

Chloe gripped the cell bars, wanting nothing more than to kick the shit out of Nathan and leave him in a pool of his own blood.

Rachel tiredly replied. "Shut the fuck up Nathan with your childish bullshit."

Nathan was surprised at Rachel's words. They were friends, they would mock each other from time to time, but it was always as friends. This was something else. Nathan furrowed his brow and sneered at the longhaired blonde, "Don’t tell me what to do, Rach, you don’t want to be on my bad side."

Rachel slowly shook her head, Nathan was so much like a child when he was confronted or didn’t get his way. She'd always chosen to put up with his bullshit and once again she asked herself why she was even friends with him. "Oh, fucking blow me," she replied. _ I'm done with you._

“Seen as you practically already blew a quarter of the football team, no thanks, I don’t want to catch anything.”

“Fuck you.”

Nathan laughed.

\-------------------

Victoria kept watching the clock. "What do you think is going to happen?" There was still no answer that was going to be any different from the first time she asked it. Nobody knew what was going to happen, so they kept quiet.

Max leaned her head on the metal container wall. Her body felt numb. She had stopped crying and was staring at a spot on the wall. Her inner voice was so loud it was deafening..._ What did I expect? I lied to her, told her that I would stay in touch… I didn’t even bother to go across town to tell her I came back. She... was... my best friend and this is what I did to her, I threw it away. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me... Like Kate. I failed her. Kate, why?" _ Max sobbed, thinking about Kate lying in the bathtub, how her parents or sisters would find her. _ I should’ve helped her more, I am worthless, stupid, uncaring, unkind, selfish, a failure._ The inner voice kept going and going. She put her hands through her hair, covering her ears and pulled her hair... rocking herself back and forth, no one had seen her hit herself in the head.

\-------------------

"Thirty seconds left," Victoria said. The four prisoners walked towards the edge of their cells. Chloe looked back at Max, who hadn't moved since she spoke to her. The punk looked at the timer then back at Max again. Chloe whispered loudly. "Max."

"Ten seconds," Victoria said. She regripped her cell bars and looked over at Rachel who looked back worried. Nathan mumbled to himself that he was going to kick the shit out of whoever was doing this to him.

Chloe turned again towards Max and loudly whispered, "Max!" The girl just rocked herself back and forth. _ Useless, coward, stupid, piece of shit, fuckup... _

In two strides Chloe was by Max’s cell wall on her knees with her arm through the bars, reaching for Max. "Max, give me your hand… Max, plea-" The clock hit zero and the lights went out. Victoria and Rachel screamed into the pitch black. Chloe clawed for Max in the darkness. "Max!"

Rachel called out Chloe’s name. "Chloe! Where are you?"

"Max!"

Rachel felt for the bars and put her arms through them, needing Chloe’s touch. "I need you!"

"Max… please," Chloe moved her hand around, feeling for her.

Nathan tightly held the bars, violently trying to rip them open. "Fuck fuck fuck. LET ME OUTTA HERE!" he yelled. "FUUUUUUCK."

Victoria pleaded with Nathan, "Nathan, please stop, Jesus Christ, stop!” Victoria's voice got quieter, pleading, "Please just stop, make it all stop."

Half a minute later the tv turned back on. There was a large white pig on the screen standing in a dirty concrete room. It had a collar around its neck exactly like the ones around each of their necks. The distorted voice boomed out through the tv, drawing the four prisoners' attention to watch.

**“Welcome to the game. There are five rooms designed specifically for each of you.”**

Chloe looked back at Max, the girl was still quiescent. "Max," she called again, then turned back to the tv.

**"The rules are simple…You will each be given one chance to complete your game. You cannot interfere with another person’s game. And you will not try to remove your collar. If you do not follow the rules…"**

The pig on the screen grunted with its nose to the ground. It didn’t hear or feel the shotgun shell fire from the square box attached to the collar. It just collapsed dead with blood gushing through its nose, mouth, entry and exit wounds.

Rachel and Victoria screamed. Victoria kept repeating, "This is not happening," with her head in her hands.

Nathan swore obscenities. The punk felt the back of her neck and panicked, "Oh, Jesus Christ!" She realized that there was a gun literally held at the back of her neck that could go off at any time. She looked back at Max who was now standing stoically in the corner, staring at the tv. She never met Chloe’s gaze or answered her when Chloe called out her name again.

The lights went out again and the tv turned off.

Chloe again swiped her arm around in the darkness seeking for the little hand of hope.

\-------------------

A floodlight over Nathan’s cell lit up. He looked up at it, blinding himself for a few seconds. The tv turned back on with the puppet on the screen. 

**"Nathan Prescott. You will confess to your crimes and will turn yourself in to the police."**

"What is this?" Nathan said annoyingly, then spread his arms out at the tv. "I didn’t do anything, bro. This is bullshit, open these fucking doors!"

**"There is a metal patch on the container wall in your cell, remove it. There is a device to record your confession. You will be given a time limit to complete your task."**

The light over Nathan’s cell went out and the group was left in the dark for a minute before all the lights came back on. There was silence in the room as everyone took in their surroundings. Rachel noticed that Chloe was next to Max’s cell bars. All eyes found their way to Nathan, enough for him to take notice. "WHAT! What the fuck are you all looking at!?"

"What’s in the wall?" Rachel asked, looking away from Chloe.

Nathan turned and saw the off-coloured scrap metal patch. He hauled and bent the metal back, then stomped at the scrap metal bending it enough for his hand to be put in. He reached in and retrieved an old cell phone.

"A phone!" Victoria said.

Nathan turned it on and searched for the phone app. "What the fuck?" he said as he searched through the phone. There was nothing of help. There was only one app on the home screen and nothing else.

"What!?" Rachel asked.

"I can’t… there is no phone app, no signal, no internet, there is no way to contact anyone. There is only one app."

"Well, what the fuck is the app?" Chloe asked, annoyed.

"A voice recorder."

"Nate, give me the phone, there has to be something on it to contact someone," Victoria put her arm through her bars. Nathan mindlessly held out the phone.

"No!" Max yelled, scaring everyone in the room.

Nathan stopped and looked at Max. "What?"

Max had everyone's attention. She’d found her voice even if it was shaking. "S-she c-can’t take the p-phone. You’re n-not allowed to interfere."

Victoria immediately withdrew her hand and stepped back. She tensed up and held herself sheepishly. She looked up at the camera high in the corner of the room like a child getting berated by an adult.

Chloe looked at Max and noted her stuttering. She turned towards Nathan. "Dude, what did you do?" She glanced back at Max, seeing the girl standing straight, tensed with her hands clenched in fists to her side. She had her eyes closed, trying to control her breathing.

"Nothing!" Nathan snapped back, looking at Chloe then at Rachel and Victoria's doubting expressions. "Okay, fine," Nathan tapped the recording app on the phone. "I bought drugs for the Vortex party. Everyone in this fucking room has bought drugs at one time or another." He pressed a button to stop the recording and looked up at the camera. "There. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. I confessed my crime, now let me the fuck out of here!"

The tv turned back on. The puppet stared at the players then the screen displayed a clock countdown for one minute. There were unsettled gasps in the room.

"Oh, Jesus Nathan," Victoria said, looking back at him.

Nathan looked wide-eyed and afraid at the tv. "That’s what I did! I didn’t do anything else!" He looked at Victoria. "I didn’t do anything else, I swear, V!" He looked at Rachel. "I didn’t!" Nathan looked up at the camera. "That’s what I did, you fuck, you can’t keep me in here, you can’t kill me! You will be guilty of a crime, my father will sue-"

"JESUS CHRIST NATHAN! THEY DON’T CARE!" Victoria screamed at him. "Just tell them what you did!"

Nathan took the phone again and spoke clearly and slowly, recording himself, "I Nathan Prescott brought drugs to a vortex party and people got high!" The countdown didn’t stop. 

"Nathan, it's something else," Rachel shouted. "Just tell them what you did, nobody here cares!"

Nathan looked up at the camera, asserting himself, "You can’t keep me here, you can’t kill me."

"Nathan, please tell them what you did!" Victoria pleaded.

The count down hit ten seconds.

"You can’t do it, you’ll be guilty!" Nathan yelled.

"Just tell them!" Rachel shouted.

"You can’t murder me!"

Chloe yelled. "Dude, just tell them, you stupid fuck!"

**Five.**

"Nathan!"

**Four.**

"Tell them!"

**Three.**

"Just do it, no one cares!"

**Two. **

"NATHAN!"

Max turned away.

**One.**

"I’m a fucking Prescott, you can’t kill me!"

Max covered her ears as everyone braced for a gunshot noise.

**Zero.**

The clock showed no time left. An alarm went off, then the tv turned off. The only sound was Nathan breathing hard, wide-eyed, shaking and looking up at the camera.

With no sound of a gunshot, the girls looked back at Nathan. He chuckled out of breath as if he’d just ran a marathon. "That’s right, you assholes,” he took another needed breath. “I told you, you can’t kill me."

Nathan’s cell door unlocked. All eyes went to the door. Shaken, he walked over on wobbly knees and pushed it open. He looked at Chloe then stepped out, letting a held breath go. He then walked to Victoria’s cell. They held each other’s hands through Victoria’s bar as she cried. "I thought you were going to die."

"It’s okay, V," he said and looked at the others. He reached for and held Rachel’s outstretched hand across from them. "Whoever it is, thought that I wouldn’t confess so easy and tried to scare me." Nathan took another breath to try and relax. "Scared the shit out of me, fuck me." He chuckled and released his hold of the two girls and leaned over, taking deep breaths. "Fuck." He stood up and took a few more deep breaths. "Okay, I’m gonna get out and get help." He turned towards the shipping container doors. "I'll get the police and get whoever is doing this." He opened the door leading out of the cell room. "They won’t get away with this." he lifted the shipping container latch.

Chloe looked at the phone on the floor in his cell. "Nate. Nate, take the phone." Chloe pointed to the phone he dropped. "See if you can get a signal."

Nathan turned, having forgotten about the device he'd dropped. His body shook from fear and adrenaline. "Fuck, yeah." He walked back into his cell and picked up the phone. He checked to see if it was broken, then looked at Victoria. "This fucker is going dow-"

The sound of the shotgun shell going off was deafening in the metal containers. Nathan’s neck exploded, splattering the back wall. His body dropped to the ground as copious amounts of blood poured out of the exit wound.

Victoria let out a blood-curdling scream as she jumped back up against the cell bars.

Rachel screamed, shutting her eyes and putting her hands over her mouth.

Max’s knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground, hyperventilating. She stared at the floor.

Chloe stared, wide-eyed in shock. Nathan’s neck was half missing and his head was bent at an unnatural angle. She watched Nathan’s foot twitch with muscle contractions as his nerve center was still sending signals. She stepped back and tripped up over her own feet, falling to the floor. She crawled away backward, looking at Nathan until her back hit the furthest wall away from the body. She put her head in her hands, rocked herself back and forth and started to hit herself in the head. "Wake up, wake up, this is just a bad trip, just a bad trip, wake the fuck up, please."

"No!" Victoria cried, "How could you?" She held herself on the floor, crying for her friend. "He never hurt anyone."

The lights went out in the room.

\-------------------

For about thirty minutes the only sounds in the darkroom were whimpers, crying and pleading.

The TV turned back on and began to play a video. It showed a student that Rachel and Victoria both knew. In fact, all of Arcadia Bay knew: Kelly Davis, the girl that had been reported as a missing person for over six months. The girl was sweating and teary-eyed with her mascara running. She was on her knees looking helplessly up at the camera. She was reluctantly giving someone a blowjob and she looked terrified. The voice holding the camera spoke, "You like that, don’t ya, bitch?" She whimpered and backed off the penis. "Put it back in your whore mouth and suck it!"

The girl pleaded. "No, please."

"Suck my fuckin’ cock," the voice growled.

Kelly pleaded again, "Please no, stop." The person recording brought down the other hand that held a gun to her head. She cowered away. "Don’t, please!"

"Suck it or you won’t see tomorrow."

Kelly leaned forward with the gun still to her head and continued. There was a chuckle, "Aahhh, fuuuck yeah, that’s it... like that... do it like your life depends on it because it does." He thrust his hips forward, shoving himself further into her mouth. He held the back of her head, letting her choke. She put her hand up towards his legs, wide-eyed. He let her head go and she backed off, coughing. She then continued again as he kept the gun pointed to her head. He turned the camera to show himself off in a mirror that was next to him in his dark dorm room. He smiled a smug smile and flexed his bicep, "Bitches love to suck me off." The recording paused, it showed Nathan Prescott.

The four girls in their cells gasped.

"Jesus Christ," Chloe said quietly.

Another video played... another girl again that not only Rachel and Victoria knew but also Chloe: Samantha Myers, a girl that left Blackwell part ways through last school year. She was on Nathan’s bed, naked. Her eyes were not focused on anything, lying there like a rag doll. Nathan walked into view of the camera that was set up, got on the bed and proceeded to kiss the girl. She whimpered and tried to move her body away but she was too heavily drugged and weak. Nathan easily turned her over on her stomach and pinned her down. She mumbled, "No. Stop." He began to rape the girl. The video paused.

The next video showed Nathan on his bed with a blonde, using his phone to record. She was face down in a cardigan and a conservative black skirt. He grabbed her hair and turned her head towards the phone. Her eyes were barely open, as she was practically unconscious. "Never been touched. So sweet, so fucking innocent," Nathan said. "Mine to take. You want me to take your virginity, don’t you?" She didn’t respond. He let her head go and it flopped to the bed. He leaned back and took hold of her skirt and proceeded to haul it up over her waist, exposing her underwear. He then grabbed her underwear and pushed it over to the side, exposing her. He ran his thumb down over her vagina. "Mine." He unzipped his jeans and took his penis out and began to run it up and down Kate’s vagina. He turned his phone towards the mirror in his room and smiled to himself. The video paused, then the tv turned off. The four girls were silent in the room, completely in shock. Max was crying, rocking herself back and forth... she couldn’t watch.

The lights went out, leaving the four remaining players in the darkness. The only voice was of one guilt-ridden girl, "Kate. I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry."


	3. Part 3

The lights came on after some time. No one said anything and no one dared to look over at the body. Chloe was on the floor, leaned up against the wall, rocking herself a bit. She clenched her hands as she felt another wave of stomach pain come forward. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and tried to not throw up... the withdrawals had already started when she’d first woke up and now they were getting worse. She reached into her coat pocket, thinking maybe she magically forgot she had more on her or anything else. Rachel noticed Chloe searching through her jacket and saw the look on her face. "Chlo?" Rachel crawled over to her. "Chlo?"

"WHAT!" Chloe snapped back.

"When did you get your last hit?" She quietly asked. Chloe’s irritation drew the attention of Victoria and Max. Chloe took off her jacket, feeling overheated, then looked into her hoodie pockets before she threw it across the cell.

"I don’t fucking know!" She checked her jean pockets. "Long enough." The need overtook her and out of frustration, she hit her fist on the container metal wall, echoing the metal clang in the room. "Fuck! I gotta get out of here." She sat down on the floor and proceeded to take off her sneakers, thinking that she forgot another hiding spot.

Max quietly watched Chloe as Rachel tried to comfort her through the bars. Chloe batted her hand away. "Don’t fucking touch me."

"Chloe-"

"Unless you got what I need, you’re no use to me," Chloe moved away from the girl, took out the sneaker insert and looked inside the shoe.

Max was uneasy with Chloe’s attitude towards someone trying to comfort her. She looked at Rachel, concerned. The blonde watched Chloe and quietly talked to her. Max glanced over at Victoria who was watching the punk and noted Max’s worry as she looked at her.

Max quietly observed for the next half hour as Chloe became more agitated. She also noticed that Chloe wouldn’t look at her. The punk got up and started to pace the cell, scratching a spot on her inner arm. She was sweating, tearing up and mumbling to herself. Chloe held her stomach, winced in pain, and went to her knees. She started slowly rocking and breathing the pain away.

Max couldn’t stay quiet, Chloe was clearly in physical pain. Their differences had to be put aside. "Chloe, what’s wrong?" 

Rachel sat up on her knees. "Sweetie, lie down," she said. Chloe didn’t say a word, let herself go to the ground and curled herself up into a ball. "Breathe through the pain, you’ve done this before. You’re strong, you can get through this..." Rachel encouraged her as the punk’s muscles twitched.

Max worriedly looked at Chloe on the ground, facing her. The girl was sweating profusely and shaking with heavy muscle twitches occurring every so often. Tears fell as the punk winced in pain at her friend. Max looked up at Rachel and asked, "What’s wrong?" Rachel didn’t answer and sheepishly looked over at Victoria. Max looked at Victoria, the pixie blonde looked drained, holding herself, and sighed. "Your friend’s an addict." 

Max’s jaw became slack with shock, her little voice spoke. "What?" She looked at Chloe then back at the two girls. She didn’t know how to react or what to say. She tried to speak, there was part of a word that came out. _ What?! How did this happen? Where was Joyce? Oh Chloe._ Max felt a wave of heaviness in her chest as sadness overcame her. _No._

Chloe watched as Max learned about her… about what she was. The realization on Max’s face, knowing that she was a filthy drug addict, was too much. Chloe curled up as small as she could get. She put her arm over her head and face and broke down. It took a moment for Max to take in all the emotions and knowledge before she spoke, "What do we do? Can we do something? Chloe?" She looked up at the two girls. "What do we do?" 

Rachel shook her head, "There is nothing, she’s going through withdrawals. Her body is craving heroin." 

_ Heroin!? _ Max thought, _ What! _

Chloe cried with pain and guilt. She wasn’t prepared for Max to ever find out about her. 

"Chloe?" Max said quietly. Max had her arm through the bars, reaching for her. She was able to take her clammy hand. Chloe withdrew it, not wanting Max to touch her filth. _ Please don’t touch me. _

"Don’t, please," Max urged. Chloe hesitated. Her hand moved against the floor to find the little one reaching for hers. Max took it, held tightly and tried to comfort her, "Hold on Chlo, please hold on." Chloe looked on as tears fell, holding on to her friend. _ Please don’t let me go. _

There was a loud clicking noise of all of the cell doors unlocking, just as Nathan’s had. Max looked at her door and let go of Chloe’s hand.

Chloe mumbled through tears, "No." Max was already up, pushing her cell door open and carefully walked through.

_ Pleeease don’t leave me, please. _Chloe watched her friend disappear out the door, and she quietly cried pleading. "No, come back… no." Her body shook as she felt again of Max leaving her.

Like her cell and the others, it was a continuation of shipping containers welded together. Max walked down a short hall seeing a closed container door in front of her. To her right, was another hall; she figured it was to the main cell area. 

Rachel was already in Chloe's cell, kneeling next to her. Victoria was out of her cell watching Rachel and Chloe, with the sound of the shipping door opening she stepped back, not knowing who it was. Max peered through and stepped in, walking over to Victoria. The two girls squeezed each other's arms for contact and comfort. She then turned her attention to Chloe and walked into the cell, keeping her eyes on her friend and not the body across from her. She knelt seeing Chloe covered in sweat and looking at Rachel. The blonde asked, "Can you help me get her to her feet? I won't be able to keep her up." 

"Yeah," Max nodded, putting Chloe's sneakers back on. She then took one of Chloe's arms with the blunette groaning. Rachel encouraged Chloe to move, "Come on, babe, let's get you on your feet and out of here."

Chloe got to her knees and with the help of the two girls was able to stand, a little bent over. Victoria hauled Chloe’s cell door all the way open for the three girls to get through while holding the punk up. She then retrieved Chloe jacket and hoodie and the girls walked out the main cell, leaving Nathan's body behind.

Max pointed down the hallway with one of Chloe's arms around her shoulder. "The door on the right." They slowly walked down with Chloe, stopping halfway as she winced in pain and shook a little. Max looked at her as a sweat droplet fell from her nose. Rachel noticed Max's worry. She calmly said, "Just keep her moving, I can get her something once we're out of here."

Max nodded, encouraging her friend. "Come on, Chlo, just a little more."

As they neared the door, Rachel looked over her shoulder to Victoria behind the group, "Vic, can you get the door?" The socialite walked around the group. "Yeah," she said, lifted the latch and swung the door back. Rachel and Max went in with Chloe and Victoria followed them through. 

The lights automatically came on once the door was opened. They flickered and buzzed like they had in the previous room. The girls were now in a large, unclean washroom. The toilet stalls were removed, the urinals were badly stained, dirt and debris were all over the floor and the walls were caked in grime. In the middle of the room there was a metal chair that had a makeshift armrest and some strange attachment on it. Chloe lurched forward again, having another cramp. She pushed away from the two girls holding her up and rushed to a dirty toilet and threw up. She breathed heavily feeling another wave of sickness and threw up again.

Rachel knelt down next to her as Chloe spat into the bowl. “Slow your breathing, big deep breaths.” She hauled Chloe back on her knees as the addict let her head fall back taking a deep long breath. Rachel used the girl’s shirt like a bib and cleaned the mess away from her mouth and calmly speaking. “There we go.”

Max knelt down on the other side wiping the sweat off of Chloe’s face with the cuff of her own hoodie as her friend pleaded with her. "It hurts, make it stop."

“I wish I could Chloe.” Max hopelessly replied. 

Victoria seeing another door walked over and tried to open it. "It’s locked," she announced as she took in the surrounding of the room. 

"Hold on, Chlo, please," Rachel looked around and went to each sink to see if the water worked. None of the taps produced. At the far end of the washroom, there was a metal table with an old cloth covering a tray. Next to that was a one-foot by one-foot square metal box that was welded to the table. There was a hole in the upper center of the facing side that was covered by a thin rubber flap. Rachel reached for the cloth but was stopped by Victoria. 

"Don’t interfere, remember? We don't know who's game this is." 

A tv hung over the urinals on the wall. It turned on and the puppet spoke. 

Her eyes were barely opened at the mention of her name. 

**"Chloe Price, you sold drugs to Nathan Prescott, these drugs were used by Nathan to drug his victims. You may have not administered the drugs but you were a part of the problem."**

There was a picture of Chloe standing in the back of the Two Whale restaurant passing someone something in her hands.

Max looked at Chloe, stunned. "You’re a drug dealer?" Max let go of Chloe’s hand and took a step back on her knees dismayed. "You sold him the drug that he gave to Kate?" Max couldn’t believe the person in front of her. _ Who are you? _

The addict’s tears streamed down from her eyes, as she looked at her friends face peering at her in disgust, there were no words that would be good enough ever to be forgiven. 

**"You have turned away help, hurt the ones that love you, and you have given yourself over to your addiction. Remove the cloth on the table." **

Rachel walked back helped Chloe up. "Get up, babe, you have to do this." Chloe stumbled to the table and leaned on it. The three other girls stood behind her. Chloe removed the cloth. Underneath it was a rubber tube tourniquet and a needle partly filled with a clear orange-brown substance. Chloe knew immediately what it was and reached for it but was held back by both Rachel and Victoria. "Stop and wait," Rachel said.

"Let me have it I need it," Chloe said, drained of energy. She fought to try and get to the needle but both Rachel and Victoria held her back, as Chloe got more aggressive. “Fuck off!”

**"The chair in the room has a device attachment, put the needle into the armrest device."**

There was a 3D model on the screen showing Chloe what to do. 

"I don’t care how much you need it," Rachel said aggressively, "You will follow the instructions or you know what’ll happen. We can’t do it for you."

Chloe grabbed the rubber tube, needle and walked back with her head down, being sure to not look at Max. She placed it in the machine’s cut pneumatic cylinder. Max looked on speechless, as she saw the needle protruding through the other end. Chloe wrapped the tourniquet just below her elbow and started tapping it, trying to produce a healthy vein as she sat in the chair. She took the armrest and slid it along her right arm to have the needle line up with a vein between the back of her wrist and her thumb. Rachel and Victoria watched the whole process quietly. Max bit her quivering lip as a tear fell off her chin. _ Oh Chloe. _

**"Your choices have consequences."**

Chloe didn’t listen to the puppet, she just tried to hurry the process along, "Come on, come on, get to the point."

**"You... are going to feel the pain of watching someone you love become an addict."**

Chloe, confused, stared at the tv.

**"Place Max’s arm in the device."**

Max’s face went limp her eyes went wide as she looked at the t.v then at Chloe terrified.

"NO!" Chloe yelled she wasn’t sure if it was being denied the drug or what was asked of her. For the next minute, Chloe stood up yelling obscenities at the tv saying no. Max stood in shock, shaking with fear over what she’d been asked to do. _ I don't want to be an addict. _ She looked at Rachel and Victoria, the two girls were also stunned and had no words to say. Chloe yelled louder, "I’m like this of my own doing. I won't do this to her. Let it be me!" Tears fell. "Don't do this to her, please, please don't. Don't let her be like me, please!" She sobbed look back at Max. "She doesn't deserve this."

The tv turned to a countdown clock of two minutes and Max’s jaw dropped. Chloe turned around looking at the timer. Her yelling stopped and she gasped, "Jesus, no."

Max shook, scared and blinking rapidly. Her eyes were glued to the device. She slowly walked over as Chloe watched, crying, "Noo, please noo... Jesus Christ, no, not you!"

Max took off her hoodie and folded it over the back of the chair. She sat down and placed her arm on the armrest. Chloe walked over, her hands shook as she wiped her tears away and sniffed. She removed the rubber tubing from her arm, knelt down and with shaking hands, wrapped it around Max’s little upper arm. The brunette’s vein popped immediately. Chloe let out a sob and shook her head, "Oh Jesus, Max, I can’t…" She looked at Max with a frown and more tears fell. Her jaw quivered as sad blue doe eyes looked at her.

"It’s okay, Chloe," Max quietly said.

Chloe shook her head and wiped more tears away, "No, it’s not..." She lowered her head. Max leaned forward and wrapped her free arm around Chloe’s neck. Chloe let herself be hugged and she buried her face into Max's collarbone. "I don’t want to do this. I love you too much to hurt you this way. I won’t do this. Let me die, Max. Just let me die."

Max tightened her grip around Chloe’s neck and kissed her on the cheek. "I’m not going to let you die, Chloe, I can do this."

Chloe cried into Max’s neck, "I’m so sorry, I don’t want to do this."

"Chloe, time is running out, you have to do it," Rachel calmly said.

"It’s okay, Chloe, just don’t leave my side," Max asked.

Chloe's jaw quivered. She tried to steady herself, leaned back, placed her hands on the machine and slid the device towards Max’s arm. Max tensed up and started to do her breathing exercises for her anxiety.

"I’m okay, I’m okay, keep going, Chlo," she slowly breathed out.

Rachel and Victoria stood around Max, unsure of what to say but quietly and calmly encouraging her.

As instructed by the demonstration on the tv the device was set up correctly. Chloe knelt next to Max again with the needle poking against her skin. She put her head down and her forehead touched the opposite armrest. "I can't do this."

Max stared ahead, taking deep breaths, working herself through this trial. Rachel spoke up quietly, "Chloe, you have to, no one else can."

Victoria looked at the timer. "Forty seconds."

Chloe felt a hand on her head.

"Capt'n," Max's voice was soft.

Chloe raised her head hearing her childhood nickname. She looked at Max so apologetically, her words were broken and full of sorrow, she shook her head. "I can't do this to you."

"This is the only way."

"I never want to hurt you, you should never pay for my mistakes."

"You are the only one that can do this, it has to be you," Max took Chloe's hand. "It's okay." She placed the girl's finger on the button. Max whispered again, "It's okay." Chloe sobbed again gritting her teeth, her hand shook. "It's okay."

Chloe’s arm went forward and pressed the button on the device. She let out a sobbing whine as she fell back on her knees. She turned and dry heaved at what she had done. A red light blinked on the device just above a keyhole. There was a sound of air compressing on the pneumatic device. Max rapidly breathed hard. Both Rachel and Victoria placed a hand on Max to support her. Rachel reassured her, "You can do this Max. Take big deep breaths." The needle pricked her skin and went into her vein where it stopped. Chloe turned and gently held Max.

The room’s lights turned off, leaving the room in darkness as the three girls held and supported Max.

Chloe's voice was a sorrowful whisper, "It's okay, Maxie." Chloe kissed her friend on the temple, holding her, "It's okay."

Max's breath was a quiver, her body shook and her voice was a whimper. "I don't want to be an addict."

Chloe clenched her jaw, her heart was breaking all over again. All of this was her doing. She put her face into Max's neck. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

The tv turned on and illuminated the room with a white glow.

**"There is a box before you on the table. It contains a key for the device.**

**The only way to stop the machine from administering heroin is by retrieving the key. Place the key in the device and press the red button. If you fail you will die knowing that Max will have her first injection of heroin and you know from experience that it won't be her last."**

Chloe gasped at what the repercussions were, _ she won’t be like me._

The lights turned back on and the tv showed a counter with five minutes remaining. Chloe ran over to the metal box, looking at the rubber flap covering the entrance. She took a deep, determined breath and after a few seconds of trepidation, she put her hand in. She immediately yelped and winced in pain and retracted her hand, shaking it. "Ow!" She looked at her hand and a lower part of an injection needle was stuck into the side of her middle finger. "Oh, Jesus." Chloe hauled it out and dropped it on the floor. Rachel promptly walked over, seeing what landed on the floor she looked at Chloe, shocked.

Chloe looked at the box then looked at each girl. She saw Max and her jaw clenched and her anger rose. Chloe ripped off the rubber flap and leaned forward to look into the box. She stepped back. "Fuck, it's filled with needles." 

"Oh fuck," Rachel horrifying whispered.

Victoria put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "Oh my God."

Chloe peered into the box, "I can barely see into the box. How can I find the key?" They knew what Chloe had to do. "Oh, Jesus." Gently and slowly she put her hand in, wincing at the pain of every needle’s prick. She calmly pulled her hand back with a small handful of needles. She dropped the contents to the floor and took out a needle protruding from the webbing between her fingers.

"Chloe you have to go faster than that," Rachel said glancing at the clock, knowing it was going to hurt like hell.

"FUCK! I’m trying!" She took a handful, feeling pain in her hand, wrist, and part of her forearm. She withdrew it and dumped the needles, looking for the key. She got stuck by multiple needles and hauled out each one, her hand went back in for more.

Three shaking handfuls later, she still didn't have a key. Needles bounced on the washroom floor as she went back in for more. Blood seeped through her skin and it wasn’t long before her whole hand was slick with it. She swore each time she put her hand into the box and retrieved another small handful… she could produce nothing but more and more needles… “Where the fuck is the key!”

"Chloe, you’re down to two minutes!" Victoria announced, worried. Chloe’s hand shook her blood hand wincing at the pain.

Max whimpered, "Chloe..." The brunette swallowed, furrowed her brow and clenched her jaw, finding her confidence. Upon seeing Chloe trying to find her resolve, Max found her voice and encouraged her more, "Chloe Fucking Price, don't you give up! You never give up, you're the fucking badass that kicked Tommy's ass when he pushed me and down on the ground. He was twice your size and you kicked his ass. The way you kicked those three kids ass when they were picking on me and two others. You confronted them and told them to fuck off. You pushed back, you don't take no for an answer. You are strong and you a goddamn fighter. Don't you give up now!”

It was enough to ignite the fire in the punk. Chloe growled and punched her hand on the table a few times and grabbed onto the metal box. She let out a yell and jammed her hand into the box. She screamed over and over with each violent handful.

Max yelled at her not to give up, "Don't you fucking stop! You never stop! You've always planted your god damn feet and readied yourself for everything that life threw at you!"

Needles fell to the floor as she scooped them out, as more and more embedded themselves into her hand, wrist, and forearm. With each thrust into the box, Chloe became more and more numb to the pain. She didn't bother taking the embedded needles out, she had one thought repeating in her brain, a mantra: _ She will not be like me! _

"Thirty seconds!" Victoria yelled over Chloe’s screams. Chloe frantically scooped and dropped more needles, her hand was covered in plastic, metal, and blood.

"THERE!" Rachel yelled, pointing at the floor. Chloe stopped and looked at the floor. A small brass key was within the pile of needles. She leaned down, drove her hand into the pile and retrieved the key. She stumbled over to the device as her right hand dangled from her body. She brought the key up to the lock, her hand shook so badly that she couldn't put the key in. "RRrraaaah, get the fuck in there!"

"Ten seconds!" Victoria yelled. Rachel, without thinking, moved to help, but Victoria held her back.

Chloe finally worked the key into the lock, turned it and pressed the red button. She waited for a second, frantically looking around to assure herself she’d done it correctly. There was a sound of compressed air as the device withdrew from Max's arm. A little drop of blood pooled out of Max's vein. Chloe stared at the blood pooling in the crook of her elbow and grabbed her hoodie that Victoria had wrapped around her arm. She gently placed part of her hoodie over Max's little blood mark to stop the bleeding. The timer hit zero, an alarm went off, and nothing happened.

Rachel leaned towards Chloe as the girl was frantic to stop Max's bleeding. "It's okay, Chloe. She's okay."

“No, no.” Chloe had to stop the bleeding... _ She’s bleeding, Max is bleeding._ Max sat up and placed a hand on Chloe. "It's okay, Chlo. I'm okay." Max turned Chloe's head to look at her. "I'm okay.” Chloe panted heavily and looked at Max. "You di-" Max started to speak as Chloe’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her knees slowly gave out, she hearing Max yell her name before she blackout. Victoria, at the last second, lurched forward and was able to grab Chloe’s arm so that she didn't hit the floor hard.

Max took out the last needle that was embedded in Chloe’s hand seeing that is was bent at a right angle, she tossed it with the others away from the group. Chloe's hand looked like it had been put through a shredder. Max used the tourniquet to help slow the bleeding and used Chloe's hoodie to wrap up her arm.

Chloe slowly came to and quietly whimpered and trembled in pain. The need for heroin was so strong that her body shook again. She pleaded with Max, "I need it, pleeease." Rachel took the needle out of the device and undid the tourniquet that Max had just applied and tied it onto the opposite arm for Chloe.

The puppet spoke from the tv.

**"Underneath the table, there is another injection needle, retrieve for her."**

Victoria walked over and carefully got on her hands and knees, mindful of the needles around the area, and looked under the table. There, taped to the underside, was an injection needle. She retrieved it and brought it to Max.

**"Chloe, it’s time to choose: salvation or damnation?" **

The tv turned off. Chloe looked at the two needles held out in front of her. She looked at Rachel then Max.

"What’s in this one?" Max asked.

Sweat ran down Chloe’s forehead, she thought she was going to throw up again. "I dunno!" She winced in pain. "I need something, give it to me!"

"Which one?" Rachel asked.

"I don’t care, just give me something!" 

"Chlo, we can’t interfere, you have to choose," Max said.

Chloe grabbed at Rachel to help her sit up. 

“Leg,” Chloe stated. As she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled down her pants exposing needle marks and bruising over her groin area. The girls kept quiet, Max bit her lip, saddened at the frail body in front of her. Rachel and Max helped Chloe get situated. Chloe grabbed the needle Rachel had, containing heroin and brought it to her leg. The needle danced over the red dotted bruised area. Chloe closed her eyes tight and winced. She yelled and threw the needle across the room. She took the new needle from Max and pushed it into her vein. She looked at Max. "I don’t know what this is."

"It has to be something better, they gave you the option, Chlo," Max said, scared and unsure.

"What if-" tears fell from her eyes.

Max shook her head, "I’ll be right here. We’re all right here, Chlo." She cradled her friend in her arms.

"Don’t let me go," Chloe pleaded.  
Max held her close, "I won’t." Chloe pushed the plunger and injected herself with an unknown drug that promised her salvation. But was salvation another high or was it a release from this world? She took out the needle, letting it fall to the floor. Max held Chloe from behind as they looked at each other. Max leaned down and kissed her on the temple and rocked her gently from side to side, taking her hand. “I’m right here, we’re all right here." Chloe looked at Rachel by her other side and Victoria knelt by her feet, the addict felt the drug and let her head fall back on to Max’s collarbone. She took a breath and let it out as her pain finally went away. The three girls held onto Chloe, letting her know she was not alone. Her eyes glazed over as the world blurred and went dark, _ she’s not like me, _ was her last thought as she heard Max’s quivering voice pleading. “No, Chloe, no, please don’t go.”


	4. Part 4

Max gently, over and over, put her fingers through blue hair. "How you feeling, buttercup?" she softly asked, holding Chloe close. Chloe barely had her eyes open. She looked up at Max cradling her in her arms as she felt the little fingers going through her hair. She spoke slowly and quietly, "Better." She tiredly blinked. "I have a pretty girl holding me." 

The girls let out small giggles. Rachel calmly responded. "Yeah, she’s better."

Almost twenty minutes after Chloe’s injection there was a sound of a door unlocking. Victoria went over and pushed it open, then went back to the group and together helped Chloe to her feet, dressed her and proceeded together to the next room. It was a stark contrast to the previous one in that it was fairly clean. There was a small folding table with a cellphone placed directly in the center, a couple of waiting chairs and the ever-present tv. Rachel and Max placed Chloe in one of the chairs and they waited patiently for instructions.

**"Victoria Chase."**

Victoria stood, lifted her chin, took a deep breath and braced herself.

**"You live your life by what others say and think about you to get gratification from strangers."**

The tv displayed Victoria’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

**"You don’t think of the repercussions of what you post about others."**

The TV showed Kate’s lewd video from the Vortex Party posted on Victoria’s social media accounts. A voice in the background of the video was heard, "Guess Kate left her chastity belt at home!"

**"You recorded Kate getting sexually assaulted and uploaded the video online for the sole purpose of receiving instant, invisible gratification from strangers."**

Max looked at Victoria, the brunette was shocked and enraged. "It was you!" Max walked towards Victoria, Chloe grabbed hold of Max's waist. "You bitch, it was you! You put Kate through all of this!" Chloe, on wobbly legs, stood and used her two hands to keep Max back. "YOU’RE THE REASON SHE’S DEAD!" Max screamed; she wasn’t keeping quiet anymore, she didn’t care what others thought of her or if Victoria hit her. Victoria was the one who stepped back, frightened and ashamed, she couldn’t look at Kate’s friend. Max cried, "Why did you do this? She never hurt anyone." The brunette sobbed, "Why? She was my friend, she didn’t deserve any of this!" Chloe could only hold on to Max and try and comfort her.

Another video started to play. It was from an interior car camera, showing Victoria sitting in the driver’s seat of her BMW at night. She was smoothing out her dress. She picked at a fuzzy from her cashmere sweater and discarded it. The passenger door opened and their Photography teacher Mark Jefferson got in and sat down.

"You’re late," Victoria said as she checked her makeup and hair in the sun visor, then flipped it back up.

Mark’s voice is monotone. "I had assignments to grade."

Victoria's replied, irritated, "I don’t care... when I call you, you drop everything and come." Victoria impatiently waited for compliance. "Well?"

Mark clenched his jaw, began to undo his belt and unzipped his pants.

"Holy shit, you’re fucking Mark?" Rachel said, surprised.

Victoria straddled Mark in the seat and proceeded to have sex with him as the car’s interior camera recorded the event.

"Jesus, Victoria," Max said in disbelief.

Victoria straightened her posture, getting her composure back, showing no emotion. "What? We’re both consenting adults."

"Victoria, stop... stop..." Mark said as he held onto Victoria’s shoulder to stop her. "I... I can’t do this anymore."

**"You’ve been blackmailing Mark Jefferson with the intent to accuse him of rape, all to force him to give you high grades and to introduce you to people he’s acquainted with in the magazine and fashion photography business."**

The video continued with Victoria speaking to Mark, "Let’s get this straight, you will fuck me **when** I want to get fucked, **where** I want to be fucked, or I will go to the police." Victoria grabbed the back of Jefferson’s hair and forced him to look at her. "Are we clear?"

Mark looked at Victoria and didn't reply. She hauled his hair further back. "Answer me," she demanded.

"Yes, we are clear," Mark replied in a monotone voice.

"Then do your fucking job, I don't have all night."

The video continued with the student and teacher having sex.

The three girls looked at Victoria. She was agitated, her arms were crossed and she leaned her weight on her hip. She wouldn’t look at anyone in the room.

"Vic?" Rachel said, stunned.

Victoria went on the defensive right away, "What?! Like you weren’t trying to put out for him!"

"Vic, fuck… what the fuck were you doing?" Rachel shook her head.

Chloe spoke up, letting go of her hold on Max, "Of all the bullshit you have graffitied over the school about Rachel fucking herself through the football team," she scoffed, "you’ve been fucking and blackmailing a teacher for goddamn grades and contacts?!" Chloe chuckled and sized up the snob in front of her. "Miss Queen B is nothing but a whore."

"Shut the fuck up, trailer trash!" Victoria retorted.

"Pff," Chloe kept chuckling. "The only trashy person here is you, skank."

"Jesus Christ, why?" Max sharply asked. "Your work is good, we had so much left to learn." Max shook her head, trying to process everything. "That’s why we’re at Blackwell. Why would you do this to Mr. Jefferson? And to Kate?” Max put her finger up to her head and pointed at it. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"You, don’t understand and you're fucking gullible," Victoria replied bitterly. "You have to put yourself out there to get noticed in any way possible. I saw it all the time when I worked with my parents."

"You put yourself out there with your work!" Max said loudly.

Chloe quipped, "Technically she _ did _ put herself out there with her work, it just wasn't photography."

"Fuck you!" the pixie blonde shot back.

Chloe put her hand up and shook her head with a smirk, "Sorry, but sluts who have to manipulate, lie and blackmail people to get what they want aren’t my type." She glanced over at Rachel, the longer-haired blonde looked away from the punk.

**"If you use this phone in any other way than what I tell you to do, you will die. The phone contains the video of Mark and you. You will post it on your various social media outlets for your thousands of followers with the hashtags #DidItForTheAs #GettingAhead #BlackwellAcademy #Education #Blackmail. Once finished you will destroy the phone."**

"What?! I can’t! My career will be ruined!" Victoria said. "My parents will see! Everyone will see me!"

"Career?!" Max yelled as she quickly walked to Victoria and slapped her across the face. "YOU WERE THE FUCKING REASON KATE KILLED HERSELF! AND ALL YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IS YOUR NON-EXISTENT CAREER!" Chloe reached for Max, she had never seen her so mad. Max batted Chloe’s hand away, not wanting to be touched. Victoria held her cheek, shocked at having been struck.

Rachel got in between the two girls and faced Victoria, "Vic, you fucked up big time." Rachel stared Victoria down. "It’s not worth your life! Your parents will get you a good lawyer and I’m sure the charges of blackmail will get changed to something else. I’m sure Mark will-" 

"You should be charged for what you did to Kate!" Max growled as Chloe stood by the brunette's side, keeping an eye on her._ So should I _. Chloe thought.

The room became quiet for a moment before Victoria quietly confessed, "It didn’t start out like that, we… it was… consenting on both sides, it was only when he pushed me off to the side for someone else... that’s when I threatened him with the… other stuff. He tossed me for someone else, something he wanted, so I was going to get what I wanted."

Max yelled, "I don't fucking care. Why did you do that to Kate! Why the fuck would you post that video!? Why would you even film it?! Are you that starved for attention that you need to exploit someone? And for what? Likes on the fucking internet?!" Max's voice cracked from yelling. 

"I know!" Victoria lowered her voice and repeated. "I know." 

"What is wrong with you?!" Max asked again, pointing to her head. "You see someone drugged getting assaulted and the first thought that pops through your fucking head is to record it and make fun of her?! Then you fucking post it online!" Max’s voice was ragged and she was losing it from shouting, she had never been this outspoken before. Max’s voice lowered, she shook her head and looked at Victoria at a loss, "She never hurt anyone, ever. Why?" Victoria had no answer for her as to why she did what she did. There was no valid excuse and she knew it. Max took a breath of air, tired, “All of this was because you lacked confidence in yourself and your work. You tried to pass yourself off as someone that you’re not... and in the end, someone else paid the price for it.”

The tv screen showed a timer of five minutes. It took Victoria two minutes to upload the video and post her comment on each of the social media sites. She then followed the instructions and took apart the phone and stomped on it, rendering it useless. She did it all as calmly as possible but her hands trembled. She needed to own this shame and consequence. In one touch of a button, her life changed.

The group watched the tv as it showed live updates of Victoria’s social media. Every tweet, notification, and email as it came in. Over the next few minutes alone, people started to distance themselves from her or left comments of disapproval for her actions. Her promising career in photography was shredded with every notification ding that popped up. Her guard went down as Victoria held herself, defeated, and broke down.

\-------------------

@VictoriaChase typical white rich girl trying to get ahead. You're a fucking disgrace.

@VictoriaChase You're a fucking disgrace to women who were actually raped and needed to get justice. #JusticeForWomen #GoToJail #FuckYouVictoriaChase

@VictoriaChase Whore! I hope they throw the book at you#JusticeForWomen #GoToJail

@VictoriaChase Go and jump off a bridge the world would be a better place #JusticeForWomen

@VictoriaChase I’ll give you a job anytime with moves like that #GoldenDragonExoticClub #GrindForMeGirl

\-------------------

📧 1:37 PM  
To: Victoria Chase  
Subject: Kroft Gallery  
From: Amanda Kroft

Given the information that has come to our attention regarding your actions, we cannot in good faith continue our work relationship with you. Your submissions will no longer be accepted.

Amanda Kroft,

Owner, Kroft Gallery

\-------------------

📧 1:43 PM  
To: Victoria Chase  
Subject: Mandatory Meeting  
From: Marianna Taylor

Miss Chase. 

You are required for a mandatory meeting tomorrow at 9:00 am with Principal Wells. The meeting is to discuss the events that have come to our attention concerning you and a member of the faculty. 

Marianna Taylor  
Blackwell Academy, Admission Dept.  
555-630-5231

\-------------------

📧 1:47 PM  
To: Chase Space Gallery; Victoria Chase  
Subject: Cancel Immediately  
From: Annie Leibovitz

Chris,

I am canceling my showing next month at The Chase Space.

I wish to no longer do business with you and your wife.

Thank you.

Annie Leibovitz

\-------------------

📧 1:52 PM  
To: Chase Space Gallery; Victoria Chase  
Subject: Please Remove  
From: G.Crewdson

Please immediately remove my work from your gallery. I will have someone stop by tomorrow to pick up my material. I will be showing my work somewhere else. Please do not contact me or my association for future requests or donations.

Gregory Crewdson

\-------------------

**TEXTuя**

**Taylor:** V what did you do? Why?

**Courtney:** What the fuck Victoria?

**Zachary:** Wanna suck my dick LoL

**Alyssa:** You were the reason why Kate hurt herself!?

**Stella:** You pushed Kate to hurt herself, and you're the one who is actually whoring herself out

**Dana:** OMG what have you done... why?

**Nathan:** V phone me when you read this!!

Chloe noticed the notification from Nathan. "How the fuck… they’re posting as Nathan."

The room was quiet, Chloe gently rubbed Max’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. 

Victoria spoke quietly to Max, "I don’t know how but I will make it-"

Max turned and glared at Victoria, moving away from Chloe, "Don’t say you will ‘fix it’ or make it ‘right.’ This is something that **you** and most certainly **your** parents’ fucking money cannot fix. Kate is dead because of your fucking actions. You will carry the burden of what you've done for the rest of your life." Max hugged herself as she sat down. _I know I am because I didn’t act sooner._

The door on the far end of the room unlocked, prompting the girls to move into the next room. Rachel somberly looked at Chloe. The punk sat with Max, she slid over and gave her a sideways hug, whispered in her ear then kissed her temple and placed her head on her shoulder. Rachel looked down and away towards the door, missing the comfort of her friend.

\-------------------

The lights came on in the room, showing the material for the next game. On a fold-out table, there was a plastic container on a weight scale, a pair of old rusty scissors and a cracked dirty mirror on the wall.

**"Rachel Amber, the girl with the smile, the girl with everything, the girl that gets what she wants."**

Rachel tensed up and looked at Chloe, frightened.

**"You manipulate people into caring for you to get what you want."**

A picture of Chloe appeared on the tv that showed Rachel and Chloe looking like a loving couple. Then pictures of Rachel outside of Frank’s R.V, followed by Rachel and Frank kissing each other. Chloe clenched her jaw, looking at Rachel then back to the screen. Max looked at Chloe, realizing she was once in a relationship with Rachel.

**"You manipulate people into doing what you want them to do."**

The next picture was of Rachel and Kate, pre-party, posing for a picture. Kate was wearing her cardigan and conservative skirt.

**"You made a bet to get Kate to go to a Vortex party. You manipulated her into thinking she was your friend."**

The screen showed Victoria's phone texts

**TEXTuя**  
**Mon, Sept 23th**  
**Victoria ➟ Rachel**

**Rachel:** You gonna put your money where your mouth is?

**Victoria:** You're on bitch. $50 Says you can't get her to the Vortex this Friday.

**Rachel:** You're on, will gladly take your money honey

**TEXTuя**  
**Fri, Sept 27th**  
**Rachel ➟ Victoria**

**Rachel:** _image01.jpg_  
**Rachel:** Pay up beyotch, Katie is over in the corner.

**Victoria:** Oh fuck you beyotch

**Rachel:** _Victoria Chase has sent you $50 via PayMe_

**"It was all a game to you. All for fifty dollars."**

Victoria’s video played again, showing Nathan sexually assaulting Kate in the VIP section, then in his bedroom.

"All of this for fifty bucks?!" Max said, looking at Rachel. "What is it with you guys? Someone is not like you so you use, bully, and harass them?"

Rachel had added the money to her 'Get the Fuck Out of Arcadia Bay’ fund she had been stashing.

“How was I supposed to know she’d get assaulted at the party?” Rachel asked.

Chloe spoke. “That not the point, yo-”

Chloe was cut off by Rachel, " **You** sold Nate the fucking drugs! He would’ve done it either way to someone that night because he had what he needed, what _ you _ sold him!"

Chloe put her hands in her hair and turned away. All of this was on her... everything that happened to Kate started with her. She turned and looked at Max, wanting to explain. She looked at her friend standing away from everyone, holding herself. Chloe took a step towards her and Max took a step away, not wanting to be close to her. Chloe’s words were hollow, "I’m sorry. I didn't know. Frank gave me a package to deliver to Prescott and told me to come back with the money." Max, disheartened, stared; she had no idea who her friend was anymore, and Chloe knew it.

**"You will give up a part of yourself. You will know you’ve given enough when the light on the scale turns red."**

The screen gave a countdown of seven minutes. "Oh fuck, you don’t have a lot of time!" Chloe said.

"So, I'm supposed to cut my hair?" Rachel asked. She grabbed the scissors, bunched up a handful of hair and started to immediately cut a few inches of it. "These things are dull." Over and over Rachel cut at her hair, trying to get it fully shorn from her head. Once she had the small offering she placed it in the container. The weight scale measured the donation. 0.016 ounces of 0.5. She wasn’t even close.

"Oh, fuck," Rachel whispered.

Victoria and Chloe looked at the scale, "Just cut it up to the back of your neck," Chloe said. Rachel was already trying to cut more.

"I’m trying but it’s… it’s not sharp enough!"

"Five minutes," Victoria said. Rachel hadn’t even given her second offering yet.

"Don't try cutting a bunch at one time take a small handful," Chloe stated.

She looked at Chloe and, in a panic, accidentally let the hair she already had cut fall to the ground. "Oh fuck!" she gathered it and placed it in the container. 0.029 ounces.

Max stepped forward, clenching her teeth and calmly spoke, "Rachel, you need to cut it more towards your neck, not a few inches from the end. It’s hair... it will grow back."

Rachel grabbed a handful and brought the scissors up the base of her skull and began to cut. ‘Why the fuck are these so dull? It’s not cutting the hair."

"Try cutting smaller handfuls."

"I am!" Rachel tried less hair and tried to cut again. "Fuck, it’s not fast enough!" She started to get scared and tears streamed from her eyes. She yelled, "I’ll do what you want, I just need more time!"

"Four minutes," Victoria said.

"NO!" Rachel began to panic, over and over cutting and adding to the container. She wasn’t donating fast enough. "Chloe!"

There was nothing Chloe could do. "Just keep going Rach."

Max’s voice was steady, "Just keep going, don’t stop, you can do this."

Rachel’s hair was cut at different lengths; her beautiful locks were disappearing. Her mascara ran as she cried and pleaded for more time. Half of her hair wasn’t even touched and she still needed to give up more.

"Three minutes!" Victoria yelled. "Rachel, cut faster!"

"I‘M TRYING!" She added more hair.

"You need to go faster!" Victoria said again, loudly.

"I can’t, they’re too dull!" she cried. She dropped the scissors and looked in the mirror. Her ruined makeup, her matted hair, the ugly truth.

"Two minutes!" Chloe announced. There wasn’t enough time.

"Rachel, pick up the fucking scissors and cut your hair!” Max instructed. Rachel screamed and her fight or flight instinct kicked in; she grabbed a handful of her hair and screamed pulling it out at the root. She laid it on the scale and immediately went for more.

"Oh, Jesus!" Victoria said in shock, she backed away.

Over and over, the sound of hair-tearing and breaking was heard between Rachel's screams as the blonde grabbed handfuls of her hair, ripping it from her skull. Her blonde hair was leaving a trail of red as she added each handful to the scale.

"One minute!"

Her hands went back and forth, ripping hair from the roots from the crown to the base of the nape of her neck. Blood trailed down from her head, staining the remaining blonde locks. Max squeezed her eyes shut as Chloe and Victoria stepped further away from Rachel, preparing for the collar.

The red light turned on, indicating that the sufficient offering had been made. Rachel, however, was so far gone that she continued hauling out her hair. Max rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the girl, stopping her from doing any further damage. “Stop stop stop, it’s done, it’s done, you did it.”

The timer’s alarm went off, which made Rachel freeze in fear. She looked at Chloe and Victoria, who looked back with horrified. Max stepped back and the three looked at the nearly bald, bleeding girl with a few random strands remaining on her head. Her mascara was spread all over her cheeks and snot ran from her nose as she sobbed. She looked into the mirror and upon seeing herself took an uneasy step back from her new reality she swayed on her feet. 

Max place an arm around Rachel as her legs began to wobble. “Sit.” Both slid down the wall, Max leaned forward, took off her hoodie and wrapped it around the pale girl. The hood was drawn up to help stop the bleeding from her scalp, Rachel used it hideaway, she cried into Max. "I'm sorry. If I wasn't such a bitch she would be alive. I'm sorry. Oh God, I am so sorry Max."

Max didn't know what to say, no words were going to change the fact that Kate was dead. She got up and Chloe took her place sitting next to the 'blonde'. Max sat away from the group on one of the waiting chairs. She stared at the locked door, _ I’m next. _ She leaned over with her head in her hands. _ I deserved everything that is behind that door._ The brunette felt someone sit next to her and put their coat around her, she was unaware she was shaking. An arm went around her and held her close. The room was quiet. "Whatever is on the other side of that door, we'll get through it, I'll make sure you get through it," Chloe said quietly. "There is no way I'm leaving my first mate behind." Chloe leaned over and kiss Max's head. "No way in hell."

The three girls in the room were going to see what Max’s true colors were... She confessed her actions to the people in the room. "I'm a pathetic loser that didn't help Kate, I didn't speak out when Victoria posted the video, I told Kate not to go to Principal Wells and tell them what happened. I told Kate not to go to the police until I had more proof that Nate did more than just assault her that night. I played detective and it got my friend killed." Tears fell off of Max's cheeks. "I should've gone to the police. Even if I knew the Arcadian police department was wrapped around The Prescott’s finger, Kate knew that Nathan drugged her. I could've gone to another department outside of Arcadia. I could've asked Kate if she wanted to go and see the school therapist." Max sniffed, her body shook, her voice quiver when she spoke. "I could've talked to her more every day, paid more attention to her, I knew she was depressed." Rachel and Victoria looked at each other ashamed of their actions. Max continued. "I should've of went to the school nurse and told her something was not right with Kate. I should've followed her after she talked with Mr. Jefferson instead of letting her walk away crying. You figured after five years I would've learned my lesson. I failed her in every way like I failed you Chloe and like I failed my parents.” Max clenched her teeth and sobbed. “Kate's dead because of me."

Chloe held Max tightly. "Max you were the only one that was helping Kate, we were the ones who are to blame for what happened."

Max shook her head. "No. I didn't do enough, I never do enough. I say I’m going to do things and I never follow through because I’m always so fucking scared of what people will think of me." Max looked up at the door. "Whatever is behind that door I deserve every bit of it."

The TV turned on and the puppet stared.

..

..

**"Maxine Caulfield, you will walk through the next room alone."**


	5. Part 5

Chloe jumped up and walked toward the tv, yelling at it, "NO!" Victoria and a slow-rising Rachel got to their feet as well. Chloe yelled again, "That isn't fair! She was there in each of the rooms to help us through!" The door to the next room unlocked. Max stood up, letting Chloe’s jacket fall off her shoulders and with no emotion walked towards the door. Chloe yelled again at the tv, "It's not right, Goddammit!" She turned to see Max behind her walking towards the door. Chloe stepped towards Max and grabbed her by the arm, keeping her there. Her voice was shaking with fear, "No, Max... don't."

Max placed a hand on Chloe's hand that was gripping her arm. Her voice sounded defeated, "I have no choice."

Chloe pleaded. "I don't want you to go."

Max shook her head a little, there was nothing she could do. "I have to go."

Chloe hugged her, holding her little frame. "Max, I don't want to let you go. This isn't fair."

"I'm sorry Chloe. I'm sorry for everything. I should've been there for you. I should've texted you back. I should've phoned you and come down to visit you on long weekends or holidays. I didn't know what to say or do to help you though Williams' death. I distanced myself from you, scared of my feelings of losing you and William and I'm sorry. Because of my selfishness, I didn't do anything to help you; I should've been there for you. I lost you as a friend and not a day goes by that I don't think about my actions." Max looked up at Chloe who was crying. "I know I'm five years too late for your forgiveness and there is nothing I can do to turn back time and be there for you when you needed it, but I am truly sorry for abandoning you." Max hugged her. "I hope you get the help you need Chloe, it’s not right that this happened to you. I wish I could’ve been there to help you through this."

Chloe stiffened up at Max's last sentence. "Max don't you talk like that, you’re gonna get through this." Chloe took Max's shoulder and shook her a little. "Do you hear me? Don't you give up! You're the badass, you’re fuckin' Maxine Caulfield. You're the girl that got up off the ground after being pushed down by Tommy, a boy twice your size, and stood with me to take him on! You're the girl that stood with me when three kids were picking on our friends. You yelled and said no and held your ground to make sure we... me, was safe." Chloe held Max's face in her hands. "So you don't give up, you are a fighter!" Chloe put her forehead to Max’s and softly spoke to her, "You are my friend, my First Mate, my partner in crime. Don't give up now that we're back together."

The tv showed a counter of thirty seconds.

"Max, the tv," Victoria said, cautioning, “You have to go.”

The girls looked, then Chloe hauled Max into a final hug. "Don't you give up Max Caulfield." Chloe kissed the girl’s cheek and her whisper was also a plea, "Come back to me." Max stepped back from her hold and Chloe let her friend slip through her arms once again. Max opened the door and walked through.  _ I’m sorry, Chloe _ . She closed the door behind her, hearing Chloe’s sob.

\-------------------

Chloe stood in front of the door, waiting. Her body shook from crying.  _ Please please please be okay. _ Rachel stood behind Chloe and placed her hand on the girl’s back. "She’ll do it Chloe. From what you told me of her, I know she will get through this." Rachel leaned on the wall still feeling dizzy. Victoria went to Rachel's side to give her some support. She quietly spoke to Chloe, "Chloe, I don't know Max very well, but I know she strong-minded, she will do this."

Chloe leaned her head up against the door, sobbing, "I just want her to be okay."

"I know," Rachel said. "We all want her to be-"

The sound of a shotgun went off. The three girls froze, the room was quiet. Chloe’s eyes darted back and forth at the door, she couldn’t breathe, she blinked at the realization. Chloe let out a heart-wrenching scream as tears fell. She tried to open the locked door. Rachel and Victoria back away as Chloe unleashed her rage. She hauled back, hit and screamed at the door as she cried. Max hadn't made it through. Chloe banged on the door, leaving smears of blood from her wounded hand. "NO! NO!" She rocked her body back and forth, holding the door handle, trying to get it to open. She slammed her shoulder into the door; when that didn't work she started kicking the door until she ran out of energy. Her body collapsed to the ground as she sobbed and curled up in a ball, wailing over her friend, "Please, no... oh God, no, please don’t take her.”

Victoria looked at the girl on the ground, feeling her pain and she cried.

Rachel fell to her knees trying to console Chloe, "Chloe..."

“Max... why?”

“I'm so sorry, Chloe. I'm so sorry…”

"She was my friend, I loved her so much... I didn't tell her," Chloe screamed so hard her face turned red and the veins in her neck and forehead bulged... she almost passed out from the strain. Chloe gasped for air and sobbed again, "Why would someone do this to her?! Oh God, Max! No!"

Victoria knelt holding Chloe's shaking body. "I'm so sorry."

Chloe's tears hit the concrete floor, her voice was ragged and quiet, "Everything good in my life is gone, I've got nothing left."

The lock on the door clicked open.

They waited a few minutes before they helped Chloe’s drained body to her feet. Victoria put her hand on the door handle. 

"I can't," Chloe said quietly. The two other girls looked at Chloe. "I can't see her like that." Chloe swayed on her feet. “I’m going to be sick.” The two girls helped Chloe sit down.

Rachel quietly spoke. "I'll go and-." 

“No, I will,” Victoria said. "I'll go, stay with her." She looked at Rachel who was pale. “Sit with Chloe and I’ll look…” Victoria swallowed, knowing what she would be looking at. “Stay here.” Rachel and Chloe sat as Victoria opened the door, took a deep breath and walked through. 

Victoria walked down a dark hallway and into the next room, she looked at the floor in front of her, she tried to prepare herself for what she would see.  _ Don’t look at her directly. _ She kept her head down and slowly looked at the floor around her, waiting to find the blood. 

Rachel had an arm wrapped around Chloe’s waist, keeping her close as the girl rocked herself back and forth, sobbing.

"Chloe! She’s not in there!” Victoria yelled as she ran back into the room. “There’s a door open to the outside!" 

\-------------------

Chloe put her head down, too scared to still leave the room. Max may have not been shot in the next room but she knew her body was going to be somewhere out there. She wondered if it would be easier to walk back through all the rooms, grab the heroin and lock herself back in her cell to rot away. There was an easier way, she grabbed on to the collar and tried to rip it off.

“CHLOE!” Rachel yelled as she tried to stop her.

Chloe yelled. “Let me go!” She shoved the pale girl away and tried again to break the collar. With her hands up to her neck, Victoria punched Chloe hard in the stomach. The punk doubled over, releasing her hold on the collar. The two blondes let Chloe to the floor, holding her there, as she tried to get her breath back.

“Don’t you do that!” Rachel yelled, crying. “Max would’ve never wanted you to give up!”

Chloe cried again as the two girls held Chloe’s hands, protecting her from herself.

\-------------------

They got Chloe on to her feet again, Rachel took her hand to keep her from trying again to go for her collar. Victoria stood behind, ready to grab Chloe if she had to.

Rachel quietly stated. “We have to leave Chloe.” The three girls left the room in silence, Chloe followed like a child holding onto a mother's hand. She sobbed, leaning on the doorframe of the last room and took another step. She kept her eyes on her sneakers noticing the change in lighting and how she was now walking on dirt. She felt the breeze of open fresh air but she dared not to look around.

Rachel stopped walking, her voice was quiet. "Chloe."

Chloe closed her eyes.  _ This is not happening, please _ . Her body shook.

Victoria gasped, squeezing Chloe’s arm. "Oh god."

\-------------------

The hallway was dark but for the faint light at the far end of the hall where a door was open. Max walked down, feeling emotionally drained but she was ready to face her judgment. She looked inside the small room and walked through. The window to her left was covered with newsprint, covering most of the light from the outside coming through. On the table in front of her were Max's notes and pictures she’d kept to get evidence that Nathan had drugged Kate, a padded envelope and a small earpiece. She looked around the room, there was no tv. She looked back at the table, took a deep breath and put the earbud in her ear. A few seconds later a distorted voice talked to her.

**Maxine Caulfield, you were helping Kate get evidence to implicate Nathan of drugging her the night of the Vortex party. You knew the Prescotts had the police on their payroll. You knew that if you went to them with the accusation of what happened to Kate they would've never investigated. What you didn't see is how serious the assault went that night. Kate kept what happened to her in Nathan's room a secret to everyone excluding one doctor overseeing her. You sat with her on days after the assault to be with her, even when she didn't open up and talk with you. You asked students to stop forwarding and watching the video, you asked them that if they've seen it back up on social media to get them to report the content.**

**You stepped forward to face your fears.**

**You spoke out, letting your voice be heard.**

**You encouraged others to do what must be done.**

**You have learned from your past mistakes.**

**The envelope on the table contains Nathan's external drive of many assaults and rapes of women. This is the evidence you need to bring to the authorities in Portland. A copy has been made so that if the Prescott's have someone on the bankroll in Portland, we can take action somewhere else. The envelope also contains the key to your collar. Nathan has paid for his crimes, but this evidence needs to be made aware of to the police.**

Max looked inside the envelope and there, along with a black external drive, was a key.

**Take your evidence and the key and leave out the door that is in front of you. Now.**

Max gathered the items, opened the door and into the open air of what was a late afternoon fall day. The area she emerged from was a warehouse in an unfamiliar industrial area.  _ I'm not in Arcadia.  _ She didn't recognize any of the buildings. Arcadia didn’t have warehouses or an industrial area.  _ Where am I? _

**There is an oil drum ahead of you that is surrounded by concrete debris.**

**You will unlock your collar and place that along with your earpiece in the drum. You will then walk around to the other side of the shipping containers in front of you and wait.**

Max looked ahead seeing the shipping container a few yards away.

**You will know what to do next.**

Max stiffened up. "What do you mean I will know what to do next?"

**Do it now.**

Max retrieved the key and placed the envelope at her feet. She turned the collar around to have easier access to the lock. With shaky hands, she undid the lock and took off the collar. She walked over to the drum and saw that it was filled partially with old rainwater. A rusty, oily film of grime floated at the top. She tossed the collar device and earbud in. She picked up the envelope and walked around the shipping container, putting her back up against the wall. A few seconds later she flinched when she heard the collar’s shotgun shell go off in the barrel. Her legs shook as she slid her body to the ground, crying from relief.

\-------------------

Rachel hauled Chloe forward, “Chloe.” Chloe didn't lookup. Rachel shook the girl's hand and lifted her chin, “Chloe, look.”

A little voice spoke her name. “Chloe.”

Chloe fearfully opened her eyes, Max stood by a shipping container. Chloe didn't move, she held her breath, unsure if she was hallucinating. Max immediately walked towards the girls, reaching a shaking punk. “Hold still.” Chloe watched, wide teary-eyed as Max unlocked her collar. She gave Victoria the key and told them to put the collars in the barrel and go over by the shipping container. Chloe's hand was taken by a little one and she was guided around the shipping container for protection. She didn’t say a word, she just stared at Max, scared that this was all a dream or one of her drug hallucinations and she would suddenly be brought crashing back into reality. Her shaking hand touched Max’s face, she needed to know that she was really there and not on the ground somewhere, dead, with her brain matter splattered over a wall. Victoria helped Rachel around the corner and they sat down next to Max and Chloe. Three shotgun shells went off in succession, scaring them. Chloe flinched but Max was there to hold her close, to protect her.

“Max?” Chloe whispered as Max held her, terrified that she wouldn’t get an answerback… that Max would disappear.

“I got you, Chlo.”

Chloe curled up into Max, crying, shaking and grabbing on to the girl. “Don’t let me go.”

A little voice whispered in her ear. “I’m never letting you go.”

\-------------------

A girl walked into a Police station in Portland. She addressed the officer at the front desk and asked to talk with a ‘Detective Easton.’ She was asked to take a seat in the waiting area for the Detective to arrive. A forty-year-old man walked through the doors twenty minutes later and spoke with the officer at the front desk. The officer pointed to the teen that sat quietly by herself. He walked up to the girl and introduced himself. The girl explained to the detective why she was there. His eyes widen at her statement, he gave her condolences to what happened to her and said that she needed to be directed to the correct department. He took a step back and said that he would tell the front desk officer to get a detective from the sex crimes division to help her. She spoke six words, “I want to play a game.” The detective stopped and turned, alarmed at her words. He walked up to her and demanded to know who told her to say that. The girl produced a padded envelope for him, he immediately opened and looked at the contents. 

\-------------------

She sat in the back of the detective's car with her hands on her lap. She smoothed out the fabric of her skirt as they traveled through the Portland east side. There were seven extra police cars, a squad truck and two ambulances following them with lights flashing and sirens blaring. The detective had asked her multiple questions along the way, looking back in his mirror at her. She didn't have the answers for him. She told him, again, that she was given an envelope with instructions to follow. She looked out the window, worried, wishing she had a friend by her side. She took a steady breath and reached towards her neck. It was her habit to do so when she was scared. The detective’s car slowed to a halt as they arrived at a burning warehouse. The shy girl peered out through the back passenger window at four girls sitting huddled together by a shipping container.

It’s September... the first month of a new school year. New students have slowly settled into life at Blackwell Academy. Kate Marsh smiles as she walks to her photography class. She takes notice as she walks by a Vortex Club poster; the first party of the new school year.

**I see it, I see it all. **

Nathan buying drugs from Chloe on school grounds.

**You never pay attention to me.**

Victoria and Rachel talk outside the dormitory, teasing each other with a bet. Kate walks by the two girls as Victoria places a smug smile on her face. Rachel turns and smiles, walking behind Kate.

**I am always around you... **

Rachel’s leaned over a picnic table during lunch, smiling and laughing with Kate.

**And you don’t even notice me. **

Victoria and two other girls walk down Blackwell’s hallways to class. The girls laugh at Kate upon seeing her with her head down, walking by as she holds her cross necklace, distraught. Kate looks up and sees Nathan and a group of jocks, he grabs his crotch and asks if she wants more. The group of guys laugh as Kate turns and quickly walks away, crying.

**I’m good at listening.**

Max and Kate sit at a picnic table and quietly talk. Max has her arm around the girl and tries to comfort her.

**I watch what you do...**

Max takes a picture of David Madsen threatening Kate. Kate walks away getting mad at Max for not doing anything.

**I see how you act...**

The paramedic has Kate on a stretcher, wheeling her away. Victoria is recording the event as her other two friends are texting. There are other students, including Rachel, standing around in shock. Max is in the corner of the shower room covered in blood as Dana Ward tries to comfort her.

**And I know everything.**

A moving cart is wheeled down a hospital hallway. It stops and a food tray is removed and brought into a room where Kate sits in a chair with her wrists wrapped. She looked depressed. Max talks with her and shows the evidence she'd gathered. The tray of food is placed on the bed table, the two girls don’t notice that someone had entered and then left the room.

**I know what must be done.**

A door to a room is unlocked and opened. A lamplight outside shines as moths dance around it during the night. A silhouette casts upon the floor and wall of a small concrete maintenance room. The door closes and a light is turned on. A Halloween Vortex Party poster is taped to the wall. In the corner of the room, there is a faux pig’s head and a black robe placed on a shelf. The pig’s head is removed.

Outside there are students dressed in Halloween outfits walking towards the Blackwell Pool for the Vortex party. Behind them, the pig-headed creature appears and follows just behind to blend in with the group.

The creature walks into the Vortex party, quietly stands in a dark corner away from everyone and watches.

\-------------------

Lights are flashing and the music is loud as students are in full party mode. A boy decides to jump off the diving board and into the pool. Rachel, with a drink in hand is dancing. She turns to watch but her body is spun around and a needle is placed in her neck. She’s helped out of the party as they passed some stoners. "Cool costume dude." Students smile and laugh at Rachel, claiming that she drank too much again as the creature helps out of the party.

Victoria stands in a bathroom stall and wipes her mouth after throwing up. She stumbles through the girl's back entrance of the change room to get away from people. She leans up against the change room lockers, swaying. A needle is placed into her neck, she’s picked up, placed in the towel laundry bin dolly, and is rolled away through the front entrance of the locker room, away from the party.

Nathan walks a drugged girl away from the Vortex party and up into the boy's dorm. He pushes her down on his bed, then goes to the washroom. He looks down as he takes a piss. When he’s finished, someone silently walks up behind him and injects him with a needle. Nathan sways, then collapses. His body is picked up and placed in a large garbage container in the boy's dorm hallway. The lid is placed over it and it’s rolled away.

Max sits at her computer with pictures around her desk, trying to piece together what happened to Kate. She has her headphones on, she didn’t want to disturb anyone with her music. She didn’t realize there was no one to disturb as every girl had gone to the Halloween party. A key is placed in her door and was easily unlocked to access her room. Max opens a side desk drawer and sees an old picture of when she was thirteen with a former friend. She takes it out and somberly looks at it. She picks up her phone. Her eyes well up and her vision goes blurry... she again thought about making a phone call. A needle is placed into her neck and she falls forward onto her desk.

Chloe sits in her truck at the beach. She has her phone on her lap with an email started to an old friend but hasn’t sent it. It was one of many she had tried to send through the years. She puts the needle in her arm, getting her next high, and stares at her phone as tears fall. The creature is crouched behind her truck and watches the girl's reflection in her side mirror. Once Chloe’s head falls back, the creature walks over and opens up the girl's door. Her eyes are barely open as sees the pig’s head, she passes out.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

The heavy secure door groaned as it was closed, leaving four unconscious people detained in a dark room. The creature walked through three rooms and closed each door behind them, hearing the magnetic locks on each door. It walked up a set of stairs and emerged into an old barn. A final door was closed, covered with old hay to hide its location on the floor. The creature walked out from the side of the barn and towards an old moving truck. Its head lifted to the sky, observing storm clouds coming their way.  _ A storm is coming _ . It hauled open the back door and climbed up, sliding the door down, closing it behind them. In the far end of the truck, there was a table with a computer set up with multiple monitors, displaying camera views of rooms. To the right of the creature, various theatre costumes hung, along with makeup and fx material. A lifeless puppet on a tricycle was slumped over. An opened garbage bag with a wet blonde bun wig and a stained white gown are inside. A small person sat in a chair watching the monitors. One of them has a news article that reported the identification of a body that was found in a junkyard in Arcadia Bay. Kelly Davis, a girl that was listed as a missing person six months ago. The creature stood behind and tilted their head. The small person turned in the chair and looked up. The creature’s head was removed and placed on the table next to the theatre material, then they disrobed.

"Is- is everything ready?" The quiet, unmanly type voice asked as the robe was placed on the table. 

The small girl with wet hair finished removing fx makeup from her wrists. She watched the man put on his work shirt. She noticed a tattoo of a squirrel holding an acorn on his back shoulder. She replied, "Yes, it's just a waiting game right now."

Samual Taylor, Blackwell’s Janitor and part-time hospital orderly, turned towards the girl in the chair, Samatha Myers, one of Nathan’s victims. She continued, "It won’t be too long until the game will begin." Samual hauled over another chair and sat next to the girl.

The two watched the monitors, observing the individuals in a room laying on the floor. Officer Andrew Berry, Frank Bowers, Raymonds Wells, Sean Prescott, and the body of someone laying on the floor, covered with a tarp.

Samual put his glasses on, "Now it’s time for others to pay for what they did to Miss Kelly Davis, to you, and to Miss Marsh."

The two individuals sat and waited for their players to awake.

..  
..  
..

[ **We’re going to play a game…** ](https://youtu.be/nlzzNv19RlQ)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end of that…
> 
> It’s been fun writing this little Saw-inspired Halloween story. On that note, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! to whoever celebrates it. I’ma gonna go and eat half the candy I bought for kids... what am I saying? I bought it all for me.
> 
> Thank you for giving this a read, leaving a Kudos or a comment, it’s much appreciated.
> 
> I would like to thank the letter “K” and the number “3” and the word “and,” that I spelled ‘adn’ so many freakin’ times.
> 
> Oh, and for those of you that don’t know, I have another ongoing story called This action will have consequences that I post every Friday. ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/18360968/chapters/43474439 ) Come check it out; it’s little snippets of life, of the characters you love and one extra O.C character, Sloane. Say hi, Sloane. 
> 
> “Hiii, ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/.”
> 
> Chloe: Who are you talking to?
> 
> Sloane: Them
> 
> Chloe: Them who?
> 
> Sloane: Those guys
> 
> Rachel: What are we looking at?
> 
> Chloe: Sloane is seeing the 4th wall again
> 
> Rachel: Wish you two wouldn’t do shrooms without me
> 
> Max: Hey guys what’s up, Sloane! Get away from the hole to another universe! Chloe, you have to get rid of it.”
> 
> Chloe: Meh, it’s all the way over there. I’ll just put a poster over it. I’m still running an experiment on it, I think that’s where my socks are disappearing
> 
> Max: Sloane! Get your head outta there
> 
> Sloane: It smells like feet
> 
>   
Laters LiS’ers ٩( ᐛ )و

**Author's Note:**

> **Other stories, check em' out** | **Music Playlists**  
> ---|---  
> [Adrenaline](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131271) | **Life is Strange - Pricefield**  
> [And That's How I Would Do It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24501835) |  [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ohME6aIJFML0ekXf0nZzF)  
> [Belly Button](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25683547) |  [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNcn8xzWbTEZzA99kgxVbMBcylMw3On6v)  
> [Life is Saw](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893310/chapters/49664687) |   
> [Moving Forward](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871243) | **Chloe Price - Priceless**  
> [Social Distancing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24266878/chapters/58484278) |  [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1oQOVxgWOdH03rrjTUC8eR?si=zp73LwzyS16j2VedBOUCow)  
> [Tagged](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817673/chapters/57227440) |  [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNcn8xzWbTEY_YbjrjTAH5znCwDScqoUD)  
> [The Chase **NEW!**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479217/chapters/61805629) |   
> [This Action Will Have Consequences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18360968/chapters/43474439) |   
> [Watchers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24919501/chapters/60305110) |   
> | 


End file.
